'Safe' New Town for Sudipta

OUR BUREAU

Calcutta, May 19: Sudipta Sen was today taken to New Town police station from Baruipur court, 35km away, and not to the Baruipur police lock-up that is adjacent to the court. Police sources cited Sen's security as the reason for the move. Sen himself has also made his preference for the New Town police station known as he is familiar with the policemen there after his 24-day stay. The Telegraph tries to assess the reasons why the police and Sen preferred New Town. Police preference Sources in the police said as Sen was a high-profile accused, his security was a primary concern. Had Sen been taken to Baruipur police station, he would have had to share a lock-up, which the cops wanted to avoid. The government, the sources added, wanted to keep Sen under the supervision of Bidhannagar police chief Rajeev Kumar, known to be one of the most trusted IPS officers of chief minister Mamata Banerjee. The police, according to the sources, had inputs that depositors in Baruipur, which was one of the highest deposit-mobilising centres for the Saradha Group, were planning protests outside the police station to demand exemplary punishment for Sen. "Regular protests would create law-and-order problem. So, we took him to New Town police station," said a senior officer of Baruipur police station. Located off the Rajarhat Expressway, there is little residential settlement around the New Town police station, which officers said would allow them to have a stricter vigilance. The two-storey police station, spread across 1,012.03sqm, houses four barracks with a capacity to accommodate over 80 personnel. According to the police, as various other agencies have been demanding to interrogate Sen, the New Town police station would be a better option. "This police station is reasonably new and we have CCTV surveillance, which makes it much more secure," said another officer. As the Bidhannagar commissionerate, which has been handling the default crisis, is nearby, it will easier to consult other investigating officers, he added. Sen's preference Sources close to Sen said one of the reasons the Saradha boss preferred New Town was his familiarity with the policemen. "He told the senior officers yesterday that they had been nice him. He thanked all of them," an officer said. Sen, used to leading a life of comfort, also realised that the Baruipur police station would not have the facilities New Town police station boasts of. The New Town police station has several air-conditioned rooms, some of which were used during interrogation. "Whenever Sen was out of the lock-up, he was brought into these AC rooms…. It is clear that he wants to spend more time in the AC rooms in this sultry heat," an officer said. According to a source, Sen is a diabetic and a hyper-tension patient. He is comfortable with the low-calorie food the New Town police station canteen had served. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1130520/jsp/bengal/story_16917473.jsp