Barasat (WB), February 9 The Barrackpore sub-divisional court on Monday ordered the detention of Trinamool Congress councillor Rabindranath Bhattacharya, also a lawyer, in police custody for seven days in connection with the death of an elderly man.
The family of 81-year-old Tulsi Adhikari alleged that Bhattacharya beat him during an altercation on Saturday evening over their complaint to municipal authorities about an illegal construction next to their house, following which the man died.
He was declared "brought dead" after being taken to a hospital.
Bhattacharya, councillor of Ward 23 of the North Barrackpore Municipality, was arrested by police after interrogation following the registration of a case of unnatural death.
The sub-divisional court judge, rejecting Bhattacharya's plea for bail, ordered his detention in police custody for seven days.
The police complaint by the family alleged that Bhattacharya assaulted Adhikari and his son, Hemanta.
Before his arrest, the TMC leader denied the allegations, calling them "baseless and politically motivated".
"I did not assault anyone. I am being defamed for political reasons. Any death is unfortunate, but I did not hit him. Rather, they attacked me. The son of the deceased grabbed my neck and pushed me. The CCTV footage will confirm this," he claimed.
