Kolkata police officer arrested in forcible eviction case

A Kolkata police officer was arrested Friday for his alleged complicity in the sensational Short street case where trouble had sparked off last month over a botched attempt at forcible eviction of occupants over a property dispute triggering two deaths.

Sub-inspector Noor Ali, who was initially the inquiry officer in the case, was taken into custody after his interrogation at the Lalbazar police headquarters for being a part of the "conspiracy" to evict the occupants in the Shakespeare Sarani poilice station area, police said.

Ali was transferred from the police station earlier after his name cropped up in the case.

Lawyer S. Riaz, now under arrest, had referred to Ali's role in the incident and revealed during interrogation that Ali was paid Rs 30 lakh to throw his weight in favour of one of the disputing parties.

Mamata Agarwal, an occupant of the house and principal of nursery school, and one of her security guards guards had opened fire on a group of people who had forcibly entered the house compound early Nov 11.

Two people had died and one was seriously injured in the firing.

The intruders - private security guards, bouncers and a lawyer - owed allegiance to a rival claimant to the property, and entered the premises in a bid to take possession of it.

Agarwal has accused a security agency and some influential people, including a local political leader,of having set their eyes on the property where she runs the school, and the attack was part of the conspiracy to forcibly acquire it.

Sixteen people were earlier arrested in connection with the shootout.