Tag: Sayani Ghosh

  • Trinamool to reach Delhi on Sunday night to meet Shah on alleged police brutality in Tripura

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: A delegation of TMC MPs will reach Delhi on Sunday night to meet Home Minister Amit Shah on the issue of alleged police brutality in Tripura, party sources said.

    The party has sought an appointment with Shah and the party leaders are scheduled to sit on a dharna from Monday morning.

    “Gujarat model in Tripura. All India Trinamool Congress will never accept such fascist brutality. Trinamool MPs headed to Delhi. Now. Eyeball to eyeball,” tweeted party MP Derek O’ Brien.

    The sources said the party delegation comprised of more than 15 members.

    The development comes amid Tripura police on Sunday arresting Trinamool leader Sayani Ghosh, who allegedly threatened Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb during a meeting here on Saturday night, on the charge of attempting to murder, a police official said.

    Ghosh, the youth unit secretary of TMC West Bengal, was arrested after being called in for questioning in a police station in the state capital Agartala.

    The development took place a day before a planned visit by the TMC’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee to the North-eastern state.

    Sub-divisional Police Officer (Sadar) Ramesh Yadav said Ghosh was arrested under IPC Sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 153A (promoting disharmony between two groups) for her comments against the chief minister.

    Yadav said some persons who were with her allegedly threw stones at a street corner meeting which was being addressed by the chief minister.

    A police official, who did not want to be named, said a BJP worker lodged a complaint alleging that Ghosh had reached the spot where the meeting was being held and shouted “Khela hobey” (game will happen) and claimed that there were not even 50 people in the gathering.

    “Khela hobey” is a slogan used by the TMC during the assembly election in West Bengal held in March-April this year.

    Ghosh was earlier detained for questioning in a police station and arrested later.

    TMC leaders alleged that their workers were also roughed up by BJP supporters outside the East Agartala Women’s police station, a charge denied by the saffron party.

    Abhishek Banerjee in a tweet accused the BJP government in the North-eastern state of disregarding Supreme Court orders on the rights of political parties to hold peaceful programmes.

    “@BjpBiplab has become so UNABASHEDLY BRAZEN that now even SUPREME COURT ORDERS DOESN’T SEEM TO BOTHER HIM.”

    “He has repeatedly sent goons to attack our supporters & our female candidates instead of ensuring their safety! DEMOCRACY BEING MOCKED under @BJP4Tripura,” Banerjee said in the Twitter post, attaching a video of the alleged attack of Sunday morning.

    The Supreme Court recently directed Tripura police to ensure that no political party is prevented from exercising their rights in accordance with the law for campaigning in a peaceful manner.

    Police said some unidentified miscreants attacked a group of people who gathered near the police station during the questioning of Ghosh, but no one was injured.

    The TMC is contesting the Tripura civic polls to be held on November 25.

    The ruling BJP has already won 112 out of 334 seats uncontested across 20 urban local bodies including Agartala Municipal Corporation.

    This will be the first civic election that the BJP will face after coming to power in 2018.

    The Mamata Banerjee-led party is trying to gain a foothold in the state ahead of the 2023 assembly elections.

    TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev claimed that BJP sheltered goons attacked the leaders and workers of the party on the premises of the police station after Ghosh reached there.

    “Our candidates were beaten up; their houses vandalized and though complaints were filed, no action was taken. Police here are acting in a one-sided manner,” she told reports.

    The TMC has repeatedly alleged that its candidates were being prevented from campaigning by the ruling BJP supporters there.

    TMC West Bengal secretary Kunal Ghosh said if this is what is democracy in Tripura, “we would recommend to our leaders to do the same thing (to the BJP) in West Bengal”.

    Tripura BJP spokesperson Nabendu Bhattacharya denied the allegation, saying the saffron party workers did not ever attack anyone of the TMC as the party does not consider it as a political opponent to reckon with.

    The alleged attack created ripples in West Bengal where the TMC and the BJP were engaged in a war of words.

    BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar claimed that the TMC is unable to even field candidates in seats for the local body elections in Tripura.

    “They (TMC) have to take busloads of people from West Bengal to secure attendance of 500 people in Abhishek Banerjee’s public meetings. There will be no impact of meetings by Abhishek Banerjee or Mamata Banerjee,” Majumdar said.

    He claimed that the only opponent of the BJP in Tripura can be the CPI(M) and not the TMC.

    TMC leader and senior minister Firhad Hakim claimed that that the BJP was indulging in violence in Tripura.

    “But we will follow the democratic path and win Tripura. Democracy does exist in BJP-ruled states,” he said.

  • TMC leader Saayoni Ghosh arrested in Tripura on charges of attempt to murder, criminal conspiracy

    Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: Just days ahead of civic polls in Tripura, Bengali actress and Trinamool Congress (TMC) youth leader Saayoni Ghosh was arrested by Tripura Police on Sunday, November 21, 2021.

    She was booked under IPC sections 307 (attempt to murder), 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 120B (criminal conspiracy).

    The incident unfolded on the eve of TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee’s roadshow in Tripura capital Agartala. He is scheduled to reach the state on Sunday night. Several TMC leaders, including Kunal Ghosh and Sushmita Dev, are in the Tripura capital for poll campaign.

    The police said Saayoni was arrested based on a complaint and claimed that they found preliminary evidence against her after recording the statements of witnesses. The actress will be produced in a court on Monday.

    “The allegation against her is that she is trying to promote enmity between groups of people. We also got preliminary evidence of attempt to murder. It is related to driving (in Agartala), so we arrested her,” Additional Superintendent of Police (Urban) of West Tripura district, B Jagadeswar Reddy told journalists but did neither elaborate the criminal conspiracy nor the case of attempt to murder.

    “There were four other people (including the driver) in the car. We have got their details. We are trying to arrest them,” he added.

    The TMC alleged BJP goons had attacked a police station where Saayoni was being interrogated earlier in the day. Kunal Ghosh and other TMC leaders were at the police station then. Ghosh said the attack and the actress’s arrest were pre-planned to spoil Banerjee’s roadshow.

    .@BjpBiplab has become so UNABASHEDLY BRAZEN that now even SUPREME COURT ORDERS DOESN’T SEEM TO BOTHER HIM.He has repeatedly sent goons to attack our supporters & our female candidates instead of ensuring their safety! DEMOCRACY BEING MOCKED under @BJP4Tripura. #NotMyINDIA pic.twitter.com/E9JA4HgTf9
    — Abhishek Banerjee (@abhishekaitc) November 21, 2021
    “The officer-in-charge of the police station had visited the hotel where Saayoni is staying and asked her to report to the police station for questioning. We had asked for the reasons. We said no notice was served on her. The officer could not give any answer,” Ghosh said.

    He said despite the BJP “goons” carrying out the attack with bricks, sticks and rods, none of them were arrested.

    “The police levelled some baseless and imaginary charges against her. The BJP is going to lose the civic polls and that’s why, they are doing all these things,” Ghosh said.

    He said the TMC could not move for bail as the actress was not produced in court.

    “The police have been instructed not to produce her in the court. They also know what is happening is not right. They got beaten up by the BJP goons but they cannot do anything,” he added.

    TMC’s state leader Subal Bhowmik said four to five party workers and some cops were injured and his car was damaged in the attack. He said a stone pelted by the assailants hit him on the back.

    The municipal elections will be held on November 25.