Six activists belonging to CPI (M) and its youth wing SFI, including two women, were arrested on Monday for allegedly assaulting West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra outside the Planning Commission office in New Delhi district two weeks ago.
Those arrested included Students Federation of India (SFI) General Secretary Ritabrata Bandhopadhyay, Delhi CPI (M) Secretary PMS Grewal, Delhi State Committee member Nathu Prasad and women activists Asha Sharma and Anju Jha. “They face charges under section 353 (assault), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 143 and 149 (relating unlawful assembly) of Indian Penal Code,” a senior police officer said.
“They were arrested after scanning the video footage related to the protest at Yojna Bhavan housing Planning Commission on Parliament Street on April 9,” the officer added.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Mitra had gone to Planning Commission office to discuss the state’s annual plan when they were gheraoed by a group of angry SFI activists protesting the death of one of their colleagues in Kolkata early this month. The 65-year-old Finance Minister was manhandled while trying to enter the Yojana Bhawan building and a woman protester thumped him twice on his chest and his kurta got torn in the melee.