POLICE FILE CASE AGAINST ADHIKARI OVER ALLEGATIONS OF PHONE TAPPING

West Bengal police filed a case against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday, accusing him of intimidating and insulting government officials and tapping their phones.

The case was filed by the police on their own accord based on a video in which Adhikari purportedly said he had the records of phone calls made from the office of chief minister Mamata Banerjee to her nephew, Trinamool Congress’ national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. “The role of the IO (investigating officer), inspector-in-charge and the superintendent of police will be probed by the CBI. Then you will understand that no aunt can save you. Phone calls are made to you from the nephew’s office. I have all the phone numbers and call records. If you have the state government, we have the central government,” he was purportedly heard saying in the clip on Monday. HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the video. The controversy came a day after Abhishek Banerjee was revealed to be one of the people potentially targeted by Israeli spyware Pegasus. “A case has been registered under the Official Secrets Act. He (Adhikari) made some communal statements as well for which Section 295 (A) of the IPC has been added...,” said East Midnapore superintendent of police Amarnath K.

Adhikari didn’t deny the charges, but said, “One should not give importance to this. TMC and police are synonymous.”

“Adhikari should be arrested immediately and interrogated in custody...,” said TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh.

KOLKATA: