Calcutta High Court on Friday directed the state government to file a report on the investigations carried out by the police in the case in which Trinamool Congress MLA Soham Chakraborty was caught on camera assaulting the owner of a cafe in New Town on July 4.

The single bench of Justice Amrita Sinha also directed the assistant commissioner of police, New Town zone, to provide adequate security to cafe owner Anisul Alam, its manager and their family members.

“The jurisdictional assistant commissioner of police is directed to ensure that no harm is caused to the lives and properties of the petitioners,” Sinha said on Friday.

Justice Sinha also came down on the police.

She said that it appeared that the police were initially reluctant to accept the complaint lodged by the cafe owner and its manager.

“The petitioners submit that the police were initially reluctant to accept the complaint. But thereafter, when CCTV footage of the incident was made available to them the complaint was accepted,” Sinha said.

Sinha also asked the Bidhannagar Commissionerate to preserve all video footage and evidence of the incident so that it could be produced before the court when needed.

The matter will come up for hearing again on July 4.

“The detective department, Bidhannagar, is directed to continue with the investigation and file an updated report on the adjourned date,” Sinha said.

The order followed a prayer moved by Alam, the owner of the cafe, on Wednesday seeking protection and a fair investigation.

Moving the plea on behalf of Alam, advocate Shamim Ahmed told the court that his client has no trust in the police.

“The police will not conduct an impartial investigation. The accused is a very influential person. He is an MLA of the ruling party and an actor,” Ahmed said.

The lawyer also told the court that Alam and his family members had been receiving threat calls.

Advocate Amitesh Banerjee who appeared for the state told the court that the case is now being probed by the detective department of the Bidhannagar Commissionerate led by an assistant commissioner.

Banerjee told the court that senior officers of the Bidhannagar Commissionerate felt that the local police station and officers in the
rank of sub-inspector might feel intimidated as Chakraborty is the MLA of Chandipur in East Midnapore and an actor.

“Their focus is to conduct a fair probe. The case has been transferred from the Techno City police station to the detective department for the purpose,” Banerjee told the court.

Chakraborty was booked under bailable sections including 506 (criminal intimidation), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC.

Actor-turned-politician got anticipatory bail from the Barasat court on Thursday after furnishing a personal bond of ₹2,000.