Kolkata Police has registered a suo motu case against former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee for allegedly violating a Calcutta High Court order in connection with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) students’ wing rally held in Kolkata on Friday.
The Calcutta High Court had allowed Banerjee to mark the foundation day of the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) on August 28 at Cathedral Road in the state capital. However, the court had directed that one flank of the road be kept open during the event.
According to the police, the stipulated flank was not kept open, amounting to a violation of the court’s order. The police also alleged that the programme continued beyond the time limit prescribed by the High Court.
According to reports citing police officers, the FIR was registered at Hastings Police Station against Banerjee and the organisers of the TMCP meeting.
What Mamata Banerjee said at the rally
Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday claimed that the police had a humane approach during her tenure, but alleged that the BJP had transformed the force into a “monstrous entity”.
Addressing a rally organised by the TMC students’ wing in Kolkata, Banerjee said she would put an end to “police atrocities” against her supporters, describing it as her pledge on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan.
“BJP is playing divisive politics in Bengal and using the police to spread fear among the people,” she alleged.
The TMC supremo said she would soon embark on a tour across West Bengal and would take to the streets if she was not permitted to hold public meetings.
“I will see how many eggs and bricks they have in stock,” Banerjee said, targeting the ruling BJP over alleged attacks on party leaders in different parts of the state.
She said she did not want to waste the court’s time by approaching it for permission to hold rallies every time the administration refused to grant approval.
“Henceforth, we will take the people’s nod for holding meetings at the venues we want,” she added.
The former chief minister also alleged that the BJP had “hijacked” the previous Assembly elections by using the Election Commission.
“They used the SIR to loot votes by illegally removing lakhs of names from electoral rolls,” she claimed.
Banerjee also criticised the Suvendu Adhikari-led government over the eviction drives being carried out across the state.
