Things are not looking bright for TMC’s “colourful” leader Madan Mitra. Madan Mitra’s daughter-in-law Swati Roy had recently taken to Facebook live and made explosive allegations against her in-laws, albeit, without taking names. However, social media users were quick to recognize her and the family she was making the allegations against.
On her Facebook live video, she said that her husband was a psychopath. “He takes a handful of sleeping pills and drinks alcohol. He used to abuse me and assault me,” she said. She also said that her mother-in-law and father-in-law had tried to protect her from being beaten by her husband many times but they did not support her when she sought justice. Further, Swati alleged that she even received death threats from her matrimonial family in 2019 after she left home and went to her father’s house.
Swati claims that she was once forced to escape from her matrimonial house empty-handed and hide in a relative’s house as her influential father-in-law could use his powers to put her in harm’s way. She claimed that she had gone into trauma after receiving the constant death threats and was once contemplating suicide due to this continuous mental torture. However, thinking about her child, she chose not to take any extreme steps. She repeatedly requested netizens to share her video and pleaded that she wants to live and that she wants justice.
Swati said that she has also filed a complaint against her husband Swarup Mitra, the eldest son of Kamarhati MLA Madan Mitra alleging that she had been subjected to physical and mental torture day after day since her marriage in 2014. While expressing fears that she might be killed after the video was released, Madan Mitra’s daughter-in-law stated that she can support all the allegations with evidence.
Bengal media had called MLA Madan Mitra to inquire about the incident but he was not available for a response. On the other hand, his daughter-in-law’s allegations have triggered a stir on social media. Shortly after this incident, Madan Mitra left social media. In a Facebook post made by the former Bengal minister and Trinamool leader, he declared, “I have decided to leave Facebook live or Instagram posts and any kind of social media activities until June 30.”
The senior leader added, “I am leaving Facebook because I have got an order to do so. Somebody told me not to post on Facebook regularly.”
This development happened shortly after his pictures with a woman went viral on social media leading to various speculations. In these pictures, Mitra can be seen getting very intimate with a young woman, seemingly in a party environment. They also had a hookah on the table. Some social media users claimed that the woman Mitra was seen with was an escort and her profile was available in an app.
Local media in Bengal has covered these stories in detail, soon after which the woman in concern posted a Facebook video stating that she is ‘just a fan’ of MLA Mitra.
Madan Mitra is no stranger to controversy. An important member of the clique which surrounds CM Mamata Banerjee, Mitra was Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs, and Minister of Transport in the first TMC administration. However, he had to resign after he was arrested for the Sarada chit fund scam in 2014 and got bail after 21 months.
Mitra also fashions himself as a musician, claiming to have a unique hybrid style of hip-hop and rap combined with traditional Bengali music. In 2012, he questioned Suzette Jordan, the Park Street rape victim, for ‘befriending’ strangers at 2 AM. Another TMC leader, MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar went ahead and slandered the victim as a ‘sex worker’.
In May last year, Mitra was arrested by CBI in connection with the Narada sting operation, but this time let off on bail after just 10 days.
