Kolkata ex-Mayor Firhad Hakim's OSD suspended after arrest in roof collapse case

Kolkata, July 1 : A close aide and Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to former Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim has been suspended by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) following his arrest and subsequent police custody in connection with the recent collapse of the roof of an under-construction warehouse in Kolkata.

A KMC official said on Wednesday that Kalicharan Banerjee has been suspended under KMC rules, which mandate suspension if an employee remains in police custody for more than 72 hours.

"As he remained in police custody for more than 72 hours, he has been suspended in accordance with KMC rules. He can resume duty only if he is cleared through the legal process," the official said.

After the collapse of the roof of an under-construction warehouse in Kolkata's Taratala area on June 24, which claimed 16 lives, the name of Kalicharan Banerjee first came into the public spotlight when Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari referred to him.

The Chief Minister targeted Kolkata ex-Mayor Firhad Hakim while displaying documents in the state Assembly and mentioned a person named "Kali".

"Kali was appointed to the KMC on the orders of Camac Street (Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee's office). There is no building in Kolkata that Kali does not know. Every building was approved on his word," the Chief Minister said.

Kalicharan was arrested on the night of June 25 by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Kolkata Police, which was formed to probe the incident. Since then, he has been in police custody for questioning in connection with the incident.

It may be noted that Kalicharan is a well-known figure within the KMC and is widely regarded as Hakim's "right-hand man".

Kalicharan, a state government employee, had earlier served in the West Bengal Police before joining the state administration as a bureaucrat. He joined the KMC after Hakim became the mayor following the resignation of Sovan Chatterjee in late 2018.

Apart from serving as Hakim's OSD, Kalicharan also allegedly handled the MP Fund and the MLA Area Development Project. He is alleged to have become a close confidant of the former Kolkata mayor. KMC sources claimed that he wielded considerable influence within the civic body and that no construction project in the city moved forward without his approval.