Kolkata police register suo moto case after ruckus over BJP leader's body

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], September 24 (ANI): Kolkata Police filed suo moto case against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) West Bengal president Sukanta Majumder at Kalighat Police station on Friday after the party took out a procession with the body of a BJP leader and clashed with police when stopped.

Besides Majumder, cases have been registered against BJP leaders Arjun Singh, Priyanka Tibrewal, Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato, and others. The case was registered under the sections 143, 145, 147, 149, 283 and 353 of IPC.

BJP leader Manas Saha, who was the party's candidate from Mograhat assembly constituency in South 24 Parganas district in the state elections died at a private hospital on Wednesday. According to BJP, he was hospitalised with a head injury after he was attacked during the post-poll violence.

Before his funeral, Saha's body was first brought to the BJP office in Kolkata on Thursday. Meanwhile, BJP leaders planned a procession with his body.

The procession with Saha's body led by BJP state president Sukant Majumdar approached the residence of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kalighat on Thursday evening. Following this, police stopped the procession from progressing further and a clash erupted with the BJP leaders. The BJP leaders including Sukant Majumdar, Arjun Singh, Priyanka Tibrewal, Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato, and others then held protests over the matter.

Speaking to ANI, Majumdar said, "Whatever happened today was a matter of national shame. Manas Da who was the BJP candidate from Magrahat was assaulted and beaten on the day of counting. After battling for so many days, he succumbed to injuries on Wednesday. The daughters of Saha wanted to ask Mamata Banerjee that after how many more sacrifices the violence will stop in West Bengal. Police not just stopped us but tried to hijack the body."

"The way police behaved with party MP Arjun Singh, Jyotirmoy Singh and me was seemed to be a threat to democracy. The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Kolkata (South) physically harassed me. He must be booked. If the law and order was impartial in West Bengal, then charges of murdering an MP would have been levelled against him," he added. (ANI)