Tripura HC refuses to stay police probe against Trinamool leaders

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Agartala, Aug 18 (IANS) The Tripura High Court on Wednesday rejected a petition filed by the Trinamool Congress seeking a stay order on the probe against the party's national General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu and four others, and directed the police to continue with their probe against the Trinamool leaders for allegedly obstructing the police from performing their duties, court officials said.

However, Trinamool leader Subal Bhowmik, who had filed the petition, claimed that the high court's order was like a "victory for them" as the court has asked the police not to add any other sections to the case or submit their report without the permission of the court.

Tripura police had on August 10 registered a suo-moto case against six Trinamool leaders for allegedly "obstructing official duties and misbehaving" with the force at the Khowai police station in western Tripura on August 8.

Besides Banerjee and Basu, Trinamool's Rajya Sabha Member Dola Sen, its chief spokesman Kunal Ghosh, Subal Bhowmik and ex-Tripura minister Prakash Das were also booked by the police.

Tripura Advocate General Siddhartha Shankar Dey said on Wednesday that the Chief Justice of the high court, Akil Kureshi, after hearing the appeal, has rejected the petition filed to quash the case and stay the police investigation against the Trinamool leaders.

The court has also served a notice to all the concerned persons, including the state government, returnable within two weeks.

"The court has directed the Khowai police station authority to continue the probe, but the police will not file any final report without the the court's permission," Dey said.

Supreme Court advocate Sidharth Luthra, and ex-advocate general of Mizoram Biswajit Deb appeared before the court for the petitioner.

According to the police, the Trinamool leaders were booked under Sections 186 (obstruction to public servants in discharge of his public function) and 36 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

Bhowmik, who along with many other Congress leaders joined the Trinamool last month, said that on August 8, led by Banerjee and Basu, they went to the Khowai police station after 14 Trinamool leaders were arrested for alleged "violation of Covid protocols".

"After the local court released the 14 Trinamool leaders on personal bond, we had returned to Agartala. At that time the police did not mention any issue against us, but subsequently they filed a suo-moto case against us," Bhowmik said.

In a video that went viral on social media, the Trinamool leaders can be seen raising their fingers and asking the Khowai police station officials as to "why the 14 Trinamool leaders and members were arrested after being attacked by the BJP workers".

--IANS

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