Actor-turned-Trinamool Congress MLA Soham Chakraborty was embroiled in controversy after he assaulted restaurant owner Anisul Alam, who allegedly abused party MP Abhishek Banerjee during a film shoot at the establishment. Both Chakraborty and Alam filed police complaints against each other, news agency PTI reported on Saturday citing officials.
As per the report, the TMC MLA later expressed regret, stating he should have managed his anger better and apologised to Alam.
The incident stemmed from a dispute over the parking of cars belonging to Chakraborty and his entourage in front of the restaurant in New Town near Kolkata. CCTV footage from the restaurant, which circulated online, showed Chakraborty assaulting Alam.
The Bengal unit of the BJP posted the viral footage on X, condemning Chakraborty's actions. The post read, "Utterly appalling! TMC MLA Soham Chakraborty violently assaults a restaurant staffer, dragging him by the collar, and has his goons beat others in New Town."
"Mamata Banerjee's police will do nothing because in West Bengal, the law is subservient to the ruling party's thugs. This rogue behavior epitomizes why TMC henchmen feel emboldened to commit relentless post-poll violence," the post read.
"The state’s silence and inaction are a green light for tyranny," it added.
ABP could not independently check the veracity of the video.
As per the PTI report, Alam claimed he had permitted filming at his restaurant "free of cost" on late Saturday evening. However, issues arose when the restaurant's parking space was fully occupied by Chakraborty's vehicles, preventing other customers from parking. Alam's staff requested the vehicles be moved, leading to a confrontation.
Alam recounted that Chakraborty's men cited his close association with TMC's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. Alam responded dismissively, which allegedly led to Chakraborty assaulting him. "I said that I don't care even if he is Narendra Modi's friend or Abhishek's. It was then when suddenly Mr Chakraborty came and punched me on my face and kicked me in my abdomen," Alam was quoted as saying by PTI.
Chakraborty Admits Slapping The Restaurant Owner
Admitting slapping the man, Chakraborty said that he lost his temper after being verbally abused. "The owner was abusing my staff and Abhishek Banerjee. He also abused me. I lost my cool and slapped him... I should have kept my cool and could have controlled my anger. I would like to apologise to the owner," he said, as reported by PTI.
Chakraborty visited Techno City Police Station on Saturday evening to request the police to review CCTV footage from the parking lot where the altercation began. He argued that the released footage only showed his reaction and not the initial confrontation.