Kolkata: Twelve people were remanded by a city court to custody yesterday for violence here in which a policeman was shot dead during a clash between Trinamool Congress and Congress student activists at a college. The opposition parties slammed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s alleged silence on the issue.
While two prime accused, charged with the murder, were remanded to police custody till February 26, the rest, booked under charges of attempt to murder and rioting, were sent to judicial custody till February 19 by the court.
Tapas Chowdhury, a sub-inspector attached to the special branch, was shot from close range while trying to control clashing students in Harimohan Ghose College in the Garden Reach area Tuesday.
The violence in the college erupted over the issue of picking up nomination forms for the students’ union election. Another person was also injured in the firing. Television channels aired footage of a youth in red shirt rushing into a melee and firing, before escaping from the spot.
Prime suspect Mohammad Shubhaan was presented before the court yesterday and remanded in police custody till February 26. Except for the presence of police, the college was almost empty.
Armed policemen were posted in large numbers in the entire area surrounding the college and patrol vans made repeated rounds. “The situation is peaceful. There is no tension,” Deputy Commissioner (Port) of Police V. Solomon Nesakumar said.
In a related development, a case under non-bailable offences was initiated against local Trinamool Congress councillor Mohammad Iqbal. Iqbal has been charged with rioting, attempt to murder and certain sections of the Arms Act. He was seen at the spot of the incident, threatening a policeman and mobilising his supporters
While the Trinamool Congress accused supporters of the Left Front and the Congress of being behind the attack, the opposition accused the ruling party of shielding the guilty.
The Trinamool supremo attracted severe criticism for her “silence” on the issue from her political rivals. “Why is she silent?... she has not bothered to spare even a couple of minutes for a policeman who lost his life in the line of duty,” Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Assembly and CPI-M leader Surya Kanta Mishra said.
IANS
