Police in Bengal continued to be at the receiving end of the anger of the ruling Trinamool Congress cadre with two different incidents of assaults on cops being reported on Friday in the plush South Kolkata area. Significantly, in both the incidents, the policemen attacked were attempting to free Government land from encroachments.
In the first incident, the ruling party cadres, led by local party leader Pratap Saha stormed the Alipore Police Station, vandalizing its interiors, damaging documents and indiscriminately beating up the men in uniform.
While the incident took place barely 1.5 kms away from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s official residence in the high-security Kalighat area, Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim, who is also the local MlA, told the State Assembly that “nothing of that sort has happened and things have been settled amicably”. “The police promptly took his statement as a message and refused to arrest the culprits,” said CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty. No
arrest was made even after about eight hours of the incident taking place.
While top police brass refused to comment, eyewitnesses said: “The police were abused, attacked with brickbats and their own batons which were snatched from them. Many of them hid under tables and shielded their heads with files to prevent grievous head injuries.”
The incident took place after a police team went to evict illegal settlers from a nearby Public Works Department (PWD) plot of land, on a request put in by the PWD itself.
“We had requested for police protection as we went to construct a wall and free encroached Government land near the ADM’s bungalow,” a PWD official said. The police returned to the police station after helping the PWD. “However, after some time, a large crowd of over a hundred men and women attacked the police station, led by local Trinamool leader Pratap Saha,” the PWD official said.
When asked why they were attacking the police, Saha yelled: “We are Trinamool men. We have worked for the party and brought Didi to power. We have every right to take some liberty. If the Government cannot give us a piece of its land to live on, then what can it give usIJ”
Friday’s incident took place a few kms from Bhawanipur Police Station where the Chief Minister had walked in and got two notorious gangsters released in 2011, after they were arrested by the police for hurling bombs in front of a Government hospital during a Puja procession.
In the other incident, alleged Trinamool men attacked a Sub-Inspector at Garfa, further down South about five to six kms from Alipore, beating him up mercilessly. The Sub-Inspector had gone to free land encroached by hawkers. The officer has been hospitalised and is reportedly fighting for his life, police sources said, refusing to give further details.
Friday’s incidents were the latest in the recent series of attacks on policemen, particularly in Birbhum district where, a couple of months ago, an Inspector was killed when a bomb was hurled at him by alleged Trinamool goons for trying to save the Opposition workers.
In another incident, district Trinamool Youth Congress president attacked Suri Police Station and beat up officers. Police were also attacked in Jalpaiguri, Hooghly, East Midnapore and Kasba in South Kolkata in the past one month.