West Bengal: Arrested TMC worker's wife lodges FIR against NIA officers

The wife of arrested Trinamool Congress (TMC) worker Monobrata Jana has filed an FIR against NIA (National Investigation Agency) officials alleging that they tried to outrage her modesty after forcibly entering her residence in West Bengal's Bhupatinagar on the pretext of conducting a probe, a police officer said on Sunday.

The NIA on Saturday arrested two alleged key conspirators — Balai Charan Maity and Manobrata Jana — in a 2022 blast case in West Bengal's Purba Medinpur district, in which three persons were killed.

Jana's wife Moni Jana lodged her complaint with Bhupatinagar police station alleging that NIA officers also vandalised property in her residence during their raid on Saturday morning, he said. "We have registered an FIR after receiving a complaint from a woman alleging assault by NIA officers. We are looking into the complaint," the police officer told PTI.

IPC section 354 (assault a woman with an intention to outrage her modesty) was attached to the complaint, the officer added.

An NIA team was allegedly attacked by a mob on Saturday when it went to arrest two principal suspects in the 2022 blast case in Purba Medinipur district. The incident sparked a political slugfest, with West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee accusing the investigators of assaulting villagers, particularly women.

The NIA said one of its officers was injured and a vehicle damaged in the attack that happened in Bhupatinagar. Meanwhile, the police are yet to arrest anyone in connection with the attack, though the NIA also lodged a complaint with Bhupatinagar police station, the police officer added. "The matter is being investigated," he said.

The attack on the NIA team evoked memories of 5 January, when a team from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was attacked by a mob in Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district during a search at the residence of TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh in connection with alleged irregularities in the public distribution system. Shahjahan was later arrested by the state police and handed over to the CBI following a court order.