TMC's actor-turned-MLA accused of beating up restaurant owner

Kolkata, June 8 (IANS) Actor-turned-politician and Trinamool Congress’ celebrity legislator from Chandipur Assembly constituency in East Midnapore, Soham Chakraborty, has been accused of beating up a restaurant owner in New Town of Kolkata.

According to the restaurant owner Anisul Alam, the incident took place late on Friday evening when he asked the driver and the bodyguards of Chakraborty to remove the actor’s car illegally parked in his parking spot.

“When I asked them to remove the car, one of them tried to intimidate me by saying that Chakraborty was a close friend of Trinamool Congress’ General Secretary and party MP Abhishek Banerjee.

“I told them that whoever he might be, he does not have the authority to illegally park his vehicle in anyone else’s parking place.

“First his bodyguard tried to attack me. Soon after that the actor-turned-MLA joined them and beat me up,” Alam told newspersons on Saturday.

Chakraborty, while admitting to hitting the restaurant owner, argued that he lost his temper after Alam used abusive words against Abhishek Banerjee.

“I could not accept him abusing Abhishek Banerjee. I too have human sentiments so I lost my temper. The police are looking into the matter,” said Chakraborty.

However, the restaurant owner denied allegations of abusing Abhishek Banerjee.

“I have immense respect for Banerjee. The actor is using him as a shield to hide his own fault,” he said.