Customs officer 'assaulted' after altercation with autorickshaw driver near Kolkata

A Customs officer was injured when a mob allegedly barged into his residence and beat him up, following a reported altercation with an autorickshaw driver over rash driving in Rajpur area near Kolkata, police said.

One person has been apprehended in connection with the alleged assault on Customs Inspector Pradeep Kumar on Saturday, they said.

Kumar said he had an altercation with the autorickshaw driver after the latter's vehicle dashed against his car.

“Subsequently, a large group of men broke into my flat, beat me up and heckled my wife. As the assault continued, we thought our end was near,” the Customs officer claimed.

Kumar said he suffered injuries on the forehead, neck and chin, and was taken by his colleagues to AIIMS-Kalyani in Nadia on Sunday for further treatment.

He also alleged that police did not arrive on time on Saturday even after frantic calls for help.

CCTV footage from the flat showed the officer with a bloodied forehead, as household materials lay scattered around.

PTI could not independently verify the authenticity of the footage.

A police officer said an investigation into the incident has been launched.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, visited Kumar at his residence, and demanded immediate action against the perpetrators.

Questioning the law and order situation in the state, Adhikari alleged that “goonda raj” was prevailing in West Bengal.