The arrest of expelled TMC councillor and lawyer Rabindranath Bhattacharya for allegedly kicking an elderly man to death has opened a Pandora’s box of criminal allegations. Investigations reveal that despite numerous complaints from high-ranking officials, including former Barrackpore Police Commissioner Manoj Verma, no stringent action was taken against him for years.

Records show that Bhattacharya was involved in at least five criminal cases between 2017 and 2020. Alarmingly, an Arms Act case was registered against him back in 2014. Former Commissioner Manoj Verma had previously written to the State Bar Council, detailing how Bhattacharya frequently obstructed police work and misbehaved with officers even inside the courtroom.

Local residents are now coming forward with harrowing stories of extortion and harassment. One woman claimed that her house was locked by the councillor after she refused to pay a ₹22,000 ‘cut-money’ demand for renovations. Critics argue that if the police had acted on his previous offenses earlier, the tragic death of the elderly citizen could have been avoided. As the investigation deepens, the “reign of terror” of this powerful lawyer-councillor seems to have finally hit a dead end.