A day after West Bengal Transport Minister Madan Mitra was remanded to CBI custody till December 16, the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) continued its protest against the CBI and the BJP-led government at the Centre.
At the sit in demonstration near Eden Gardens stadium in central Kolkata, AITC leaders Baishannor Chatterjee and Rathin Chakrabarty, who is also the Mayor of Howrah Municipal Corporation accused the CBI of working “under the instruction” of the BJP. They declared that on Monday, sports lovers will take out a protest match in the city.
“Mr. Mitra was arrested by the CBI for political gains. How could he be arrested when he was summoned by CBI as a witness,” Mr. Chaterjee told The Hindu .
Protest march
AITC supporters took out a protest march at Bhawanipur in south Kolkata and burnt Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s effigy. The procession was taken out by the Bhawanipur United Youth Forum, a local youth body of the AITC. The forum members would go on a relay hunger strike to demand the immediate release of Mr. Mitra from Monday.
Meanwhile, the Save Democracy Forum, a platform that works for democratic rights and peace in West Bengal expressed concern over the CBI counsel not being able to speak in court on Saturday amid the ruckus created by Mr. Mitra’s lawyers.
The chairman of the forum, former Supreme Court judge Asok Kumar Ganguly, said that if the media reports about alleged unruly acts by AITC supporters at the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s court are true then the Calcutta High Court should ask for a report in this regard.
“My personal opinion is that if the High Court finds the allegations to be true, then it should initiate contempt of court proceedings,” said Mr. Ganguly who was also the former chairman of the West Bengal Human Rights Commission.
Senior CPI (M) leader Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya alleged that the ruckus created by AITC supporters outside the court premises took place under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s leadership.
