Days after Mamata Banerjee warned of law taking its own course and hours after Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh demanded equal implementation of law against all and sundry, police rained lathis on a huge Hanuman Jayanti procession at Suri in Birbhum district drawing large-scale criticism from the saffron brigade.
The same men in khaki, however, went out of the way to comfort State Minister and former India cricketer laxmi Ratan Shukla and Trinamool Congress MlA Vaishakhi Dalmiya, who mimicked the saffron brigade with two separate processions in the name of Hanuman in Howrah.
At Suri where the BJP had of late put up a good show in terms of organisations a huge rally on Ramnavami day drew a lathi-charge. “We had taken permission from the district administration a few days ago but suddenly the permission was withdrawn and the police stopped the procession from proceeding. When the devotees insisted for a free passage they were greeted with lathis leaving many injured,” said Kalosona Mondal a local BJP leader.
The police action promptly invited large-scale criticism with Dilip Ghosh wondering whether Bengal was ruled by the Talban.
“Are we ruled by the Taliban regimeIJ Are we not authorized to celebrate our own festivalIJ” he asked complaining the police withdrew the permission at the behest of the district Trinamool president and strongman Anubrata Mondal “a person who himself commands his goons to bomb Oppositions’ houses.”
Earlier Mondal said he won’t allow the peace of his district disturbed adding "the police will take action if someone tries to cross limits.”