NEW DELHI: Senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and four-term Member of Parliament, Sougata Roy, has reported receiving death threats over the detention of party member Jayant Singh. Singh, a prominent TMC figure in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, was recently arrested in connection with a mob violence incident.
The threat, delivered via a phone call from an unidentified number, demanded Singh’s immediate release.The caller warned Roy of fatal consequences if Singh was not freed and if Roy visited the Ariadaha area, which falls within his Dum Dum Lok Sabha constituency.
“I received a call from an unknown number. The person on the other end claimed that if I did not ensure the release of Jayant Singh, I would be killed,” Roy recounted. “The caller also said that he would kill me if I went to Ariadaha. The threat call came twice, and the caller also abused me. I later contacted the Barrackpore Police Commissioner and requested him to track the number. I have also lodged a police complaint,” Roy was quoted by PTI as saying.
Jayant Singh was arrested last week following a violent episode on June 30, where a college student and his mother were brutally assaulted. The incident, captured on video, sparked outrage as the clip went viral. Singh is also implicated in an earlier case of assault involving a young girl, further compounding his legal troubles.
The police have intensified their investigation, resulting in the arrest of a close associate of Singh late Tuesday night. This marks the third arrest related to the June 30 incident.
Singh’s criminal history includes a previous arrest in 2023, from which he was released on bail under the condition of refraining from illegal activities.
When questioned about Singh’s connections within the party, Roy maintained, “After his previous arrest, he stayed away from unlawful activities. It is not about closeness. If the party had received any complaints, we would have looked into them.”