Kolkata, 05 August (H.S.) : A non-resident Indian (NRI) has accused former Bidhannagar Mayor and Trinamool Congress leader Krishna Chakraborty of demanding ₹1 crore to facilitate the release of a portion of his Salt Lake residence allegedly occupied by one of her close associates.

The complaint, filed at Bidhannagar East Police Station on July 30 through advocate Bikash Kothari on behalf of Portugal-based NRI Dipankar Sengupta, has led to the registration of an FIR. The allegations mark the first public accusation of this nature against Chakraborty.

According to the complaint, a woman identified as Srijani Bhattacharya Mukhopadhyay, described as being close to Chakraborty, has been occupying part of Sengupta's house in Salt Lake's CJ Block. Sengupta alleged that when he sought to regain possession of the property, Chakraborty demanded ₹1 crore to ensure the premises were vacated.

The complainant claimed that after the change of government in West Bengal, the family believed they would be able to recover the property without difficulty. However, the complaint alleges that in June this year, Chakraborty contacted the family through a WhatsApp call made from another person's phone and repeated the demand for ₹1 crore.

According to the FIR, the dispute dates back several years. Sengupta had reportedly allowed Srijani to stay in a portion of the ground floor at the request of a relative while he and his family, who live in Portugal, were abroad. When Sengupta returned to India in 2024 and asked her to vacate the premises, she allegedly refused and claimed she enjoyed political backing.

The complaint further alleges that Srijani sold furniture and other belongings belonging to Sengupta that were kept in the occupied portion of the house.

Advocate Bikash Kothari also alleged that in December 2025 he received a phone call from a person identifying herself as the Mayor of Bidhannagar, who allegedly demanded ₹1 crore for getting the property vacated. The complaint states that he was instructed to immediately deliver ₹5 lakh to representatives at the CJ Block residence, failing which the family would face serious consequences if they attempted to enter the property.

According to the complaint, after receiving no assistance despite approaching the police at the time, the family allegedly paid ₹5 lakh at the residence in the presence of Srijani.

The complaint further alleges that when Sengupta again requested Srijani to vacate the property in April this year, she refused, stating that she would not leave unless ₹1 crore was paid. In another WhatsApp call in June, Chakraborty allegedly reiterated the demand, telling the complainant to forget the earlier ₹5 lakh payment and insisting that the full amount must be paid.

Following publication of the allegations on Tuesday, repeated attempts to contact Krishna Chakraborty for her response were unsuccessful, and messages sent to her mobile phone reportedly went unanswered.

When contacted, Srijani Bhattacharya Mukhopadhyay said she would not comment immediately and would respond later.

Police officials have not yet issued a public statement on the allegations. Attempts to contact Bidhannagar Police Commissioner Amit Kumar Rathore and Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh for comment were also unsuccessful.

The allegations are currently under police investigation, and no charges have been proven in court. Krishna Chakraborty has not publicly responded to the accusations at the time of publication.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh