Suvendu Adhikari alleged two cops slapped former councillor of Haldia Municipality Satyabrata Das
A war of words broke out between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition BJP in West Bengal over the allegation that a BJP leader who was arrested on corruption charges was slapped by police officers in custody.
Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that two officers of the Sutahata police station in Purba Medinipur district slapped former councillor of Haldia Municipality Satyabrata Das who was arrested on October 19 on corruption charges.
Das, considered close to Adhikari, was the chairman of the tender committee of the civic board.
"Das was falsely implicated. The officers who had slapped him will have to touch his feet. If I cannot make it happen, I will not be called Suvendu Adhikari anymore. I will change my name," Adhikari said.
Reacting to the statement, state minister Firhad Hakim on Thursday said that he will soon have to change his name.
"I wonder that what will be his new name," he added.
Hakim claimed Adhikari has been making irresponsible statements and Das was arrested by police based on specific allegations against him.
The district police refused to react to the allegation of slapping.
Das was arrested after a marathon interrogation in connection with the allegation of misappropriation of funds during his tenure as chairman of the municipality's tender committee till 2020.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)