TMC councillor arrested after woman files sexual abuse case in Kolkata

A Trinamool Congress councillor of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) was arrested on Thursday in connection with a molestation and sexual harassment case, taking the number of KMC councillors arrested in the past three days to four amid mounting troubles for the ruling party.

Officials of the Regent Park Police Station arrested Biswajit Mondal, a three-time councillor representing Ward No. 114, following allegations by a woman that he sexually harassed and assaulted her on multiple occasions.

According to police sources, the complainant alleged that Mondal molested her twice — first in March 2024 and again on 9 May 2026. She also accused him of using obscene language and issuing threats.

The woman claimed that after the first incident she had approached the police, but no action was taken at the time because of Mondal's political influence and association with the ruling party. Following the alleged repeat offence last month, she again lodged a complaint with Regent Park Police Station, leading to the registration of a case and a formal investigation.

Police subsequently arrested Mondal on Thursday morning.

The arrest comes amid a series of actions against Trinamool councillors in Kolkata. On 2 June, councillors Sachin Singh and Arjit Das were arrested on allegations of corruption and extortion. A day later, on the night of 3 June, another councillor, Mahesh Kumar Sharma, was arrested on similar charges.

With Mondal's arrest, four Trinamool councillors have now been taken into custody within three days under separate criminal cases involving allegations ranging from corruption and extortion to sexual harassment.

The developments come at a politically sensitive time for the party. On Wednesday, senior Trinamool leader Firhad Hakim resigned as mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation. Party sources said the decision was taken after consultation with Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee.

The spate of arrests and high-profile developments has intensified scrutiny of the ruling party's functioning in Kolkata's civic administration, even as investigations in the various cases continue.

With IANS inputs