A city Court on Thursday remanded Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew Akash Banerjee and three others to one day judicial custody in connection with the alleged roughing up of a traffic policemen and violating traffic rules on Wednesday.
The Court also directed that the case diary and statement of the policemen concerned be produced when the case comes up for hearing on Friday.
The defence counsels argued that the accused cannot be booked under non-bailable charges and pleaded that the bailable sections be applied instead. The prosecution opposed the bail plea and prayed for the judicial custody of the accused.
The accused were booked under non-bailable Section 353 (assault to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty), besides other bailable sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and certain clauses in the Motor Vehicles Act.
According to police, those arrested were travelling in a car in the Kidderpore area of the city and violated traffic rules by overtaking other vehicles at a crossing. When policemen intervened, Akash, who introduced himself as the Chief Minister's nephew, roughed up the policemen.
Locals, present at the spot, said that the accused were initially let off by the police without registering any complaint. It was only after protests against police inaction and the registration number of the car was flashed on local television channels, was a case registered. at the local police station.
Senior police officers at the city police headquarters said that they got instructions from Ms. Banerjee to lodge a complaint and take necessary steps in connection with the incident. An inquiry has been initiated to probe into the role of the officials of local police station in the incident.
