Trinamul leaders deny links with organiser of fake jab camps: Former mayor Firhad Hakim, MLA Nayana say no one from party invloved in any way with man posing as IAS officer

Purported picture of Debnjan Deb (second from left) with TMC leaders.: Twitter

Arnab Ganguly   |   TT  |  Calcutta   |   25.06.21: Trinamul leaders are rushing to clear their names linked to a 28-year-old who had posed as an IAS officer and ran fake vaccination camps in parts of Calcutta when he wasn’t boasting on social media about his proximity to party bigwigs.

Debanjan Deb, who had held "inoculation camps" in a college on Amherst Street, Sonarpur and in Kasba, was caught after Trinamul MP and actor Mimi Chakraborty got a jab but did not receive either a message or the vaccination certificate on the Centre's Co-WIN app and got suspicious. 

Deb, who posed as an IAS officer and joint commissioner of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation, was arrested on Thursday with police seizing a large number of vials of an antibiotic (Amikacin), fake labels of Covishield and Covaxin from his office at Kasba.

Over the last few months, Deb has on his Twitter handle shared his photographs with those of Trinamul leaders Subrata Mukherjee, Smita Bakshi,  Rajya Sabha MP and former IMA National president Shantanu Sen, CAB president Abhishek Dalmia among others. Among the many identities the accused has donned is that of a joint secretary in the West Bengal government, designation he tagged to his name in a plaque that also boasts  names of CMC administrator and former mayor Firhad Hakim, MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay and MLAs Tapas Roy, Nayana Bandyopadhyay among others.

The event was held on February 26, this year. 

“I was extremely busy with electioneering and unaware of any such event held on February 26,” said Roy, Trinamul MLA from Baranagar. Roy said he did not give permission to anyone use his name in a plaque. He also denied ever having met Deb.

Chowringhee MLA Nayana has lodged a complaint. “I am surprised to find my name in the plaque. I don’t know who organised the event, I did not attend it,” she said.

The Bengal IMA states in its letter that it had organised several camps during the Covid pandemic and Deb might have attended one of the events where he clicked photographs without disclosing his identity. “There could be a deep-rooted conspiracy against our state, which has the highest vaccination rate in the country,” said Sen. “As a public representative, I often get to meet unknown people, they also take photographs without informing.”

Hakim, arrested last month for his alleged involvement in the Narada sting operation case, said it wasn’t correct to link the fake IAS officer to the party. “The PM should also resign. He was photographed with Mehul Choksi and Nirav Modi. Police are investigating, arrests have been made. None of our party members is  involved,” said Hakim.  

Three FIRs have been filed against Deb at Kasba, New Market and Amherst Street police stations, while the detective department of the city police has started a probe.