Police have arrested Pradip Roy, who is the prime accused in the Ramakrishna Mission land-grabbing case in Jalpaiguri, after a 13-day gap since the initial incident. Bhaktinagar police, a division of the Siliguri Metropolitan Police (SMP), apprehended Pradip Roy on Saturday night, bringing a crucial development in the ongoing investigation.
Pradip Roy is accused of multiple charges including sections 457 (lurking house-trespass or housebreaking by night), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), 325 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 379 (theft), 395 (dacoity), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 120(B) (criminal conspiracy), was brought before the Jalpaiguri court on Sunday. Following the proceedings, he has been remanded to three days of police custody for further investigation and legal procedures.
During an interview with ANI, Sankar Ghosh, the BJP Siliguri MLA, claimed that Pradip Roy was not the primary suspect and pointed out that the actual culprit was the person associated with Pradip Roy.
Sankar said “The criminals are flourishing like anything. Pradip Roy is not the main accused, the man behind Pradip Roy is the main culprit.” He also accused the police of colluding with criminals.
He added “I think nobody is safe under the leadership of the Trinamool Congress and the police is working hand in hand with criminals. Again, I’m saying it is not Pradip Roy but the man behind Pradip Roy (the one) who guided him to grab this land, he (referring to the man behind Pradip Roy) should be booked. Pradip Roy cannot target this kind of property. The role of police should be under investigation.”
Pradip Roy and a group of eight individuals notably assaulted the Ramakrishna Mission during the late hours of May 19. They are accused of damaging CCTV cameras and subjecting certain monks in the ashram to torture.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the assault on the Ramakrishna Mission. Previously, the Siliguri Metropolitan Police (SMP) apprehended nine individuals regarding the vandalism and land encroachment incident at the Ramakrishna Mission Ashram.