The opposition parties, including the CPM and the BJP slammed the chief minister for allegedly pressuring the police to release two persons detained by the police for rioting “in violation of the law.”
“It is reprehensible that the chief minister, who holds the Home (Police) department, herself stormed into a police station to force the police to release detained persons,” CPI(M) central committee member Md Selim said.
He alleged that Mamata led the party workers to the police station to release the detained persons who are her brother’s associates.
State BJP president Rahul Sinha led a party delegation to Governor M K Narayanan at the Raj Bhavan and complained that the chief minister had put pressure on the police to release those arrested by the police. The fiery Trinamool leader is reported to have visited the police station late on Sunday and allegedly forced the release of two members of her party picked up by the police.
However, the police clarified that they are yet to make any arrest in connection with the Sunday’s clash at Bhowanipore with the youths taking out a procession of Goddess Jagadharti. They claimed that Mamata’s intervention was limited to pacifying the mob which pelted the police vehicles with stones.
They also ransacked the Bhowanipore police station and tried to set police vehicles on fire after they were asked not to burst high decibel crackers before a hospital, police said.
The police had to resort to lathicharge which worsened the situation and Mamata, whose house is in nearby, Commissioner of Kolkata Police R K Pachnanda and senior officials had to intervene to bring the situation under control.
“An FIR has been lodged suo motu against unknown people and the investigation is on. So far there has been no arrest. So, the question of intervention by the chief minister to release the arrested does not arise,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) D P Singh said.
