Kolkata: Former Gobardanga municipality chairman Subhash Dutta was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly storing municipal relief materials at his residence. Police reportedly recovered 30 tarpaulins and 12 blankets from his car garage.Dutta was produced before a Barasat court, which remanded him in police custody for four days. BJP workers gathered outside the court during his production, with some allegedly carrying eggs. Police escorted Dutta through the rear gate to prevent any untoward incident.The incident followed a BJP protest outside Dutta’s residence on Tuesday evening over the alleged storage of relief materials. Police later searched the house and recovered the materials following a complaint at Gobardanga police station.However, BJP mandal president Ashish Bandyopadhyay said, “No one from the BJP lodged a complaint against him. One of his neighbours filed the complaint.”Dutta claimed the materials were given to him in 2022 when he was an independent councillor and said he had asked civic officials to collect them after resigning on July 15.A senior officer of the Barasat police district said, “Subhash Dutta has been arrested on the allegation of storing government relief materials. I am not aware of whom he spoke to or what he told them.”Dutta served as municipality chairman from 2010 to 2020 and administrator for two years thereafter.
