Headlines
Bengal Congress chief booked for attempt to murder
Kolkata, Aug 19
A day after he led an agitation
by party workers enforcing a shutdown, West Bengal Congress president
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was on Wednesday slapped with non-bailable
charges including attempt to murder.
Chowdhury had spearheaded an
agitation in his Lok Sabha constituency Baharampur in Murshidabad
district seeking to enforce a statewide 12-hour shutdown on Tuesday.
"Chowdhury
has been booked under several charges including attempt to murder,
deterring public servant from discharging his duty and damaging public
property," said Murshidabad Superintendent of Police C. Sudhakar.
Along with Chowdhury, a host of party workers and supporters have been booked under similar charges.
The
development comes a day after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee mocked
Chowdhury who had taken off his shirt in protest against police
baton-charging his party workers during the shutdown.
Accusing
the administration of employing terror tactics to foil the shutdown,
Chowdhury took off his shirt, daring police to fire at him.
Banerjee,
also the Trinamool Congress supremo, ridiculed Chowdhury saying such an
act suited only former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly who had taken off
his shirt on the Lord's balcony after India won the Natwest trophy final
in 2002.
Reacting to his booking, Chowdhury said the move was indicative of the Trinamool's bid to finish off the Congress in the state.
"The
CPI-M had tried this before but they failed, the Trinamool is also
doing the same but they will not be able to finish Congress," he said.