A case has been registered at Hastings Police Station in Kolkata against former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the West Bengal Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (WBTMCP) for alleged violation of conditions set out by the Calcutta High Court for the organisation’s foundation day programme. The FIR follows incidents reported during the student wing’s rally and meeting in central Kolkata on August 28.
The case involves the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad programme held on Cathedral Road. Some supporters broke barricades placed by the police, the complaint alleged, and there was jostling and disturbance between police and supporters, which disrupted traffic flow on Cathedral Road and the programme continued when the court had ordered it to stop.
The FIR has been registered against Banerjee and the TMCP event organisers. The case was filed after an investigation of the conditions imposed by the Calcutta High Court and that programme could take place.
The charges mentioned in the case include Sections 61(2), 223, 125(a), 132 and 285 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). These provisions are applicable to the allegations of criminal conspiracy, disobedience of an order promulgated by a public servant, acts endangering public safety and resistance or obstruction involving public servants, depending on the specific allegations established during investigation.
The controversy is the agreement on the permit for the TMCP foundation day programme. Large political meetings in central Kolkata can put a lot of pressure on the traffic flow in the city, especially in the vicinity of the administrative and commercial areas. Police arrangements, such as barricades and traffic diversions are therefore put in place for such events to curb movement and maintain the order in the city.
The complaint says supporters moved past or pushed aside barricades and confronted or jostled police personnel. Traffic on Cathedral Road is also said to have been disrupted at times according to the police. But now investigators will have to weigh evidence such as statements, official records and other bits of evidence to determine whether the court’s orders were violated and who was responsible.
Another allegation concerns the duration of the programme. In the complaint, it is claimed that the event continued beyond the time which the court specified. If confirmed, such a breach would form a big part of the investigation as the gathering was permitted in a particular way.
Registration of the FIR does not in itself establish guilt. The allegations will have to be reviewed in court and those named in the case will have the opportunity to respond to the accusations. Police will investigate what could have happened and will take further action if there are allegations of any such violations.
The development adds another political and legal dimension to the TMCP foundation day programme, which brought together a large number of supporters in Kolkata. With Mamata Banerjee named in the case, the FIR is likely to attract considerable political attention in West Bengal.
For the police, their immediate focus will be to determine whether the conditions imposed by the Calcutta High Court were breached and identify the individuals responsible for any specific violations. The investigation might also consider the timing of the alleged barricade breach, traffic disruption, the involvement of supporters and police and the extension of the programme beyond the permitted period.
We expect that there will be more detailed evidence collected and the roles of the organisers and others as we go forward. Because the event is political and a prominent opposition leader is part of the FIR, the case will be closely watched.
