Tripura HC refuses to stay police probe against TMC leaders

Agartala: The High Court of Tripura on Wednesday refused to stay investigation in the FIR registered by the Khowai police against five Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders for voluntarily obstructing public servant in the discharge of his public functions.

The single bench of Chief Justice AA Kureshi, while dismissing the petition filed by Subal Bhowmik to stay the investigation and quash the case registered against him, said the police can continue the investigation in the case.

Advocate General Siddhartha Shankar Dey said the court has served two week notice to the state and allowed it to continue with the investigation.

“The court has allowed the investigation to continue against the accused persons. However, the court has directed that the report should not be drawn up without the leave of the court,” the AG said.

The Khowai police had registered an FIR against All India General Secretary of Trinamool Congress Abhsishek Banerjee, Member of Parliament Dola Sen, Bengal education minister Bratya Basu, Kunal Ghosh, Tripur unit leader Subal Bhowmik and Prakash Das for obstructing them from performing their duties.

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“The TMC leaders had entered the police station on August 8 and on the following day a general diary number was registered under non-cognizable offence, following which a case was registered under section 186 of IPC,” Dey added.

The TMC leaders had visited Khowai police station along with a number of media persons, flouting COVID-19 restrictions.

He said that in the recent past when a case was registered by West Agartala police, the accused persons refused to take bail from police and preferred to move the court, even if not required.

On August 8, the TMC leaders had pressured Khowai police station for the release of 14 TMC workers arrested by last month. Banerjee, Dola Sen, Bratya Basu, Kunal Ghosh and even Jaya Dutt did not leave the police station even at the request of the police officers. As a result, there was tension at the Khowai police station “due to their aggressive attitude”.

Reacting to the police action, TMC leader Subal Bhowmik had said that they did not create any obstruction in the duty of the police officials.

“We have been falsely booked 48 hours after the visit of senior party leaders to the police station. They have booked us under section 186. We are being harassed by the police and the administration is being misused for political agenda,” Bhowmik said.

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