Mamata Banerjee rides scooter to reach protest site after Trinamool leaders detention

Kolkata: Former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday rode a scooter to reach the Padmapukur area after learning that police had detained her party leaders Kunal Ghosh and Baishwanor Chatterjee.

She took to the streets after receiving the news and later returned to her house in Kalighat by scooter.

After returning home, Mamata Banerjee claimed on Facebook Live that permission had been sought from the police for a procession from the Padmapukur area, but it was denied. She questioned why her party’s students and youth would not get permission if other parties were allowed rallies.

“Is Trinamool untouchable or not? Can the voice of Trinamool be silenced in this way?” she asked.

Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP), the party’s student wing, along with its IT wing, had called for a procession in Kolkata on Saturday to protest the NEET question paper leak. The plan was to march from Padmapukur to Moulali intersection via CIT Road.

Accordingly, Mamata Banerjee’s faction of Trinamool supporters started gathering at Padmapukur from noon. Party leaders Dola Sen, Kunal Ghosh and Baishwanor Chattopadhyay were also present.

The Trinamool claimed that police had initially given permission for the procession but later withdrew it. They said TMCP president Priyanka Adhikari was informed by email that permission was denied due to unrest during the Left’s protest programme on Friday.

Following this, the TMCP approached the Calcutta High Court seeking permission. The court sat on a holiday to hear the plea but dismissed the petition, ruling that permission could not be granted in view of Friday’s unrest.

After the High Court’s order, police began removing the gathering from Padmapukur, leading to a scuffle between Trinamool leaders, activists and supporters with the police.

Amidst the tension, Kunal Ghosh and Baishwanor Chatterjee were detained. Upon receiving the news, Mamata Banerjee reached the spot with the party’s Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien.

She was seen talking to party workers at Padmapukur for some time, alleging that police were trying to remove the opposition from various places. Police, however, maintained that the gathering was illegal following the High Court’s order. After Mamata reached Padmapukur, a section of the road was brought to a standstill for a while.

IANS