TMC protests as MP Sudip Bandopadhyay arrested in Rose Valley scam

TMC students' wing on Tuesday allegedly attacked the BJP office in Kolkata after the TMC MP Sudip Bandopadhyay was arrested in connection with a chit fund scam, even as West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee dared PM Narendra Modi to arrest her.

Sudip Bandopadhyay, leader of Trinamool Congress in the Lok Sabha and MP from Kolkata North constituency, was arrested on Tuesday in connection with the Rose Valley chit fund scam, levelling numerous allegations against him.

One of the oldest and most loyal members of the party, Sudip Bandopadhyay is a businessman by profession hailing originally from Murshidabad district in central Bengal. He was the party's face in Lok Sabha during the pitched protests against demonetisation during the winter session of 2016. Bandopadhyay is nationally well-known and is considered a very important leader of the Trinamool Congress. He is active in West Bengal politics since 1980s.

Bandopadhyay was arrested on charges of using political influence to increase business of Rose Valley; using office to shield Rose Valley from prying eyes of central agencies; carrying out huge transactions with Rose Valley during several meetings its chief Gautam Kundu; using car provided by Rose Valley more than once and CD proofs of public speech of Sudip praising Rose Valley, vouchers of the firm issued on Sudip's name found from the secret chamber of Rose Valley's DLF building.

Bandopadhyay - Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader in the Lok Sabha - is the second Parliamentarian from the party to be arrested in the Rose Valley Chit Fund Scam in a week.

The arrest sparked an angry reaction from party chief Mamata Banrejee, the chief minister of West Bengal, who claimed Bandopadhyay's arrest was Prime Minister Narendra Modi's attempt at quelling dissent against the central government's measure to invalidate old high-value banknotes.

Hundreds of TMCP activists shouted slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP and threw stones outside the BJP state headquarters in the city, official sources said.

The police quickly cordoned off the area and chased the protestors away.

"Some people threw stones at the BJP office. Later, we used force and dispersed the crowd," a Kolkata police official said.