A CPI(M) leader, Kalatan Dasgupta, was among two individuals arrested in connection with an alleged conspiracy to attack junior doctors protesting outside the Swasthya Bhawan in Salt Lake, police said on Saturday.
The arrests followed the release of an audio clip by TMC leader Kunal Ghosh, which purportedly revealed a scheme to target the protesting doctors in an attempt to discredit the Mamata Banerjee-led government. The Bidhannagar Police initiated a suo motu case based on the clip, which surfaced on Friday.
Sanjiv Das, the second individual arrested, was taken into custody from Haltu in south Kolkata on Friday night. Dasgupta was apprehended on Saturday morning. Deputy Commissioner of Police Aneesh Sarkar stated, “The conspiracy appears to have been planned on the day junior doctors visited the state secretariat, Nabanna. The audio clip has been verified through technical analysis.” Sarkar also noted that Das has admitted that the voice in the clip is his own.
Authorities are currently working to identify individuals referred to in the clip as ‘Bappa,’ ‘Saheb,’ and ‘Dadu.’ Both Das and Dasgupta are expected to be presented before a court later today, with the police seeking 14 days of custody for further investigation.
Senior CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty has condemned the arrests, alleging they are a tactic to divert attention from ongoing protests over the rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Chakraborty has called for a CBI inquiry to investigate the full extent of the alleged conspiracy.
In response to the situation, additional police forces and CCTV cameras have been deployed at the protest site, where doctors have been demanding increased security at state-run hospitals and the resignation of top officials.
The TMC’s Ghosh claimed that the audio clip was “leaked” by those plotting the attacks on doctors, further escalating tensions around the ongoing protests.