Bengal CID summons Rajya Sabha MP Ritabrata Banerjee in sexual harassment case

The West Bengal police has served a notice on expelled CPI(M) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Ritabrata Banerjee, after a woman filed a complaint with the police authorities accusing the MP of sexually exploiting her and also threatening her if she made the matter public.

Additional Director General of Police, CID, Rajesh Kumar said, Banerjee has been served with a notice where he has been asked to appear before the Criminal Investigation Department officers tomorrow.

Kumar said CID has taken up the case after assessing the gravity of the complaint and the nature of allegations made against an MP by the woman.

The woman, a software engineer by profession and a resident of Balurghat in north Bengal, has already lodged a complaint with the local police station in South Dinajpur district alleging that Ritabrata Banerjee had established physical relationship with her by promising marriage.

She has also claimed that Banerjee had travelled with her abroad during her stay in the Netherlands and they were engaged in a physical relationship since 2016.

The Rajya Sabha MP has accused the woman of alluring him and threatening him and then squeezing Rs 5 lakh from him on two occasions.

He has said that when he found out about the trap and denied any further payment, the woman came up with these false accusations.

Banerjee has filed a counter FIR with the Garfa police station in the city against the woman for maligning him and levelling false allegations against him, but has remained silent on what sort of allure and threats prompted him to pay Rs 5 lakh to the woman.

The CPIM had expelled Ritabrata Banerjee from the primary membership of the party after a party fact-finding commission found him guilty of grave anti-party activities, including moral degeneration in relation to women.