Mamata to apprise Centre about police ''attack'' on media

Midnapore (WB), Jan 31 (PTI) Trinamool Congress chiefMamata Banerjee tonight said she would give a report to Centreabout the ''brutal'' police lathicharge injuring several scribesand party workers in West Midnapore while rubbishing herparty''s alleged links with Maoists.

Claiming that allegations about Maoist links of twoarrested Trinamool men from the TC-run relief camp in WestMidnapore was false, Banerjee told reporters here that "the(police) operation has been captured on video, evidencescannot lie."

"If the two arrested Trinamool men had Maoist links thenwhy the journalists were not allowed free movement to coverthe incident and instead brutally lathicharged by the police.

This was aimed to suppress the real truth," Banerjee saidafter visiting the injured at the Midnapore Medical Collegeand Hospital.

"If there are Maoists, you take action. But in the name ofdrive against Maoists, the CPI(M) did not allow the scribes tomove freely," the Railway minister claimed alleging that theoperation was led by CPI(M)''s red card holder policeofficials.

"It is nothing but a tall story that two TrinamoolCongress men had been arrested from the relief camp. It istotally wrong," Banerjee said.

Alleging some people among today''s raid party donned CRPFfatigue, Banerjee said "why they have misused the name ofCRPF if the paramilitary force was not part of theoperations."

Dubbing the incident of police lathicharge as "a criminaloffence," Banerjee claimed she got ''clarifications'' from theIG, CRPF and the Union Home Ministry. (More) PTI PKC SUS

She said the camp had been opened there by the Trinamool to shelter women who had been tortured by CPI-M ''rowdies''.

"Led by the DSP (operations) in West Midnapore district,state police personnel dragged women inmates in the reliefcamp by their hair. One of my party worker Mangal Hembromreceived bullet injuries," Banerjee had earlier said inKolkata.

"The CPI-M has politicised the police administration..

The situation is very serious and the administration has''enforced'' an undeclared curfew in the entire Midnapore town,"she alleged.

She said senior party leader and Union minister of stateMukul Roy has already apprised the Centre about the incident.

On West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjeeexpressing regret about the police lathicharge onmediapersons, Banerjee said the CM gave the statement atthe intervention of Union Home Ministry.

Trinamool will observe black day throughout Bengaltomorrow with party activists wearing black badges and takingout rallies to protest police lathicharge and ''unprovoked''ransacking of TC relief camp.

Describing the injury of some of the mediapersons, asserious, Banerjee said if necessary they would be brought toKolkata for treatment.

Banerjee later left for Kolkata after interacting withher party leaders.