Row escalates as organiser moves police against actress Mimi Chakraborty, seeks Rs 20 lakh

Kolkata: Event organiser Tanay Shastri on Saturday lodged a formal police complaint against Bengali actress and former Trinamool Congress MP Mimi Chakraborty, escalating a legal feud that began with a Rs 20 lakh defamation notice.

Shastri, who recently spent 14 days in judicial custody following a harassment charge by the actress, is now seeking a public apology and the return of a Rs 2.65 lakh performance fee, alleging that Chakraborty’s “false” accusations have caused significant reputational damage.

The complaint has been lodged at the Bangaon Police Station in North 24 Parganas district, two days after Shastri served her a defamation notice.

Speaking to local media on Saturday, event organiser Tanay Shastri said, “Mimi Chakraborty came to perform at our club and took a fee of Rs 2.65 lakh. I have demanded that the money be returned as she did not come at the scheduled time. Because of her complaint, my reputation has been damaged. The actress will have to come and apologise in public. With that demand, I went to the superintendent of police’s office and filed a written complaint at the Bangaon police station against her.”

Shastri further claimed, “We did not disrespect Mimi Chakraborty on stage. I had to spend 14 days in judicial custody because of her false case against me. I have sought justice from the court and the government.”

On Thursday, Shastri said that a legal notice had been sent to Chakraborty asking her to pay Rs 20 lakh as compensation or face legal action. Chakraborty has not issued any official statement on the latest development.

Shastri told reporters, “She has defamed me without any reason. For this, I have demanded Rs 20 lakh from the actress. If she does not tender an apology or pay the money, the defamation case will be filed in court in the next two or three days. This is just the beginning. I will see it through to the end.”

Last month, Chakraborty had travelled to perform at an event organised by Shastri in Bongaon in the North 24 Parganas district, where she was the final performer of the night.

Chakraborty alleged that Shastri removed her from the stage midway through the performance, as it was midnight and he did not have permission for the event to continue beyond that time. She subsequently filed a police complaint accusing him of harassment.

Shastri filed a counter-complaint, claiming that Chakraborty did not arrive for the performance at the specified time and that he had requested her to leave the stage, denying any harassment.

The police later visited his residence to investigate the matter, during which he allegedly obstructed the officers. Shastri and two associates were arrested on charges of harassment and obstruction of police duty, with a case registered under a non-bailable section. After spending more than a week in judicial custody, he was granted bail on February 11.

With Shastri now pursuing a defamation claim against Chakraborty, the dispute appears set to enter a fresh legal phase.

IANS