Entertainment

IIE DIGITAL DESK ; Kolkata, August 25 : Bengali actor and former Trinamool Congress MLA Soham Chakraborty has been accused of assaulting a carpenter following a dispute over payment for furniture work at the actor’s residence in Behala, South Kolkata. The complainant, identified as Rajkapur Sharma, has lodged a written complaint at Behala Police Station, prompting police to begin an investigation into the allegations.

Rajkapur Sharma had been hired on May 12 to make wardrobes at Soham Chakraborty’s residence in the Behala area. The total cost of the work was reportedly fixed at Rs 55,000, of which Rs 30,000 was allegedly paid to him as an advance. Sharma stated that he completed around 80 per cent of the assigned work. Subsequently, he was allegedly asked to undertake the additional work of making two more wardrobes.

Sharma has claimed that he accepted the additional assignment and completed nearly half of that work as well. However, despite substantial progress on the project, he allegedly did not receive the remaining payment due to him. According to his complaint, repeated efforts to obtain the outstanding amount did not resolve the matter, eventually prompting him to visit the actor’s residence to seek payment directly.

The carpenter has alleged that he received a phone call from one of Soham Chakraborty’s security personnel on Sunday, asking him to come to the actor’s Behala residence. Sharma subsequently went to the house on Monday. According to his account, he was made to wait for a considerable period after reaching the premises.

Sharma has alleged that when he eventually raised the issue of his pending payment, the situation became tense. He claimed that he was allegedly subjected to verbal abuse and treated disrespectfully when he asked about the money owed to him. The carpenter has further alleged that Soham Chakraborty and his security guard, identified as Toton Sardar, used abusive language against him and threatened him with serious consequences.

The complaint further alleges that Sharma’s mobile phone was taken away during the confrontation. He has also accused the actor and his security personnel of physically assaulting him before allegedly pushing him out of the residence. Sharma subsequently went to Behala Police Station and submitted a written complaint detailing the alleged incident.

Police have begun examining the allegations following receipt of the complaint. Investigators are expected to look into the circumstances surrounding the dispute, the payment issue and the alleged confrontation at the residence. Statements from the complainant and other individuals who may have knowledge of the incident could form part of the investigation. The police will determine the next course of action after examining the available information and evidence.

The allegations remain claims made in the complaint, and their authenticity will have to be established through the investigation. Soham Chakraborty has not yet publicly responded to the allegations. It is also not clear what explanation, if any, he may provide regarding the dispute with the carpenter.

The latest controversy has once again brought attention to the actor’s previous brushes with allegations and disputes. In July last year, Sheikh Shahid Imam, a resident of Arambagh in Hooghly district and the proprietor of ‘Sonam Movies’, reportedly lodged a complaint against Soham Chakraborty at Charu Market Police Station. The complaint had alleged financial fraud involving Rs 68 lakh, breach of trust and threats.

Soham Chakraborty had also faced controversy during his tenure as an MLA when his name was reportedly linked to allegations of assault and threats involving employees at a restaurant during a film shoot. Those allegations had generated considerable political and public attention at the time.

The latest complaint, however, concerns an alleged dispute over payment for carpentry work and the subsequent confrontation at the actor’s Behala residence. With the police now investigating the matter, questions remain over what exactly transpired when Sharma visited the house and whether the allegations of assault, threats and withholding of his mobile phone can be substantiated.

The case has also sparked discussion over the treatment of workers and service providers involved in private construction and furnishing work. For the moment, the police investigation remains crucial in establishing the sequence of events and determining whether any offence was committed. Further developments are expected once investigators complete their preliminary inquiry and record the statements of the people involved.