KOLKATA: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew was arrested for allegedly assaulting a police sergeant on duty on Wednesday morning.
The young who was identified as Akash Banerjee was driving in an Innova when he was stopped by traffic sergeant Subir Ghosh, attached with the Vidyasagar Traffic Guard, since the vehicle was coming from the wrong side.
Akash Banerjee leaned out of the vehicle and challenged the cop. But Ghosh appeared unrelenting and determined to book the driver for violating traffic norms. An infuriated Banerjee then emerged out of his vehicle and ‘pulled up’ Ghosh for daring to stop the vehicle of the chief minister’s nephew. Banerjee reportedly even slapped the traffic sergeant repeatedly.
“We were aghast to find the youth assaulting a policemen in uniform. The youth who seemed to be in his early 30s assaulted the traffic sergeant repeatedly,” said a shopkeeper in Fancy market. The incident occurred around 11 am in front of this market.
Banerjee was in the Innova bearing the number WB 06 H 5686. Eyewitnesses said a driver and another co-passenger too were in the vehicle. Locals immediately rushed to the spot and handed over Banerjee to Watgunge police station.
Soon after, a group of men descended at the police station in Scorpio and Ambassador cars. They escorted Banerjee out while the men in uniform at the police station watched silently. Even though the assaulted traffic sergeant had lodged a police complaint, officials at the Watgunge police station initially denied receiving any complaint or getting any report on the incident.
Mamata Banerjee, however, was quick to react on hearing about the incident, and after her intervention Akash Banerjee was arrested. He is being produced in the court.
Reportedly an Innova bearing the same number had forcefully entered the Shibpur Botanical Gardens about a week ago. (Agencies)