Kolkata, June 29 -- The Kolkata Police have registered an FIR against senior TMC leaders Kunal Ghosh, Dola Sen, and Baiswanor Chatterjee, among others, on Monday on charges of obstructing vehicular traffic and the movement of daily commuters.
The case was registered at the Hare Street Police Station following a suo motu complaint by the Kolkata Traffic Police. The legal action stems from an incident on June 28, when the three leaders visited the Bentinck Street area near Victoria House. According to sources, the TMC leaders had gathered to measure the road and inspect preparations for the party's upcoming Martyr's Day rally.
According to police, the leaders assembled on the busy thoroughfare without prior permission from the administration and the unscheduled inspection took place during peak commuting hours, leading to severe traffic snarls and massive public inconvenience.
Meanwhile, at the Assembly session, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said: "Political programs must be conducted with permission. During my tenure as the Leader of the Opposition, I had to approach the High Court 104 times. Yet, I granted permission to the former Chief Minister to hold a programme at the Y-Channel within just 15 days."
Reacting to the police complaint, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said that on Sunday they had only carried out preliminary measurements for the stage and related arrangements for the July 21 Martyrs' Day rally at Dharmatala, and no road blockade had taken place.
He claimed that since it was a holiday afternoon, not a single vehicle was stopped during the process. Questioning the sections invoked in the complaint, which alleged obstruction of traffic and disruption of movement, Ghosh said: "Show me one video where traffic was blocked because of 7-8 people. Was the complaint filed just because we took measurements?"
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.