No question of arresting or harassing Mamata: Buddhadeb

Kolkata, Mar 23: West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today ruled out arrest or harassment of Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjeee before the upcoming Assembly elections in connection with a 17-year-old case.

"There is no question of arresting or harassing Mamata Banerjee before the Assembly elections," Bhattacharjee told a press conference here.

The CPI(M) had yesterday asked the Election Commission to execute all non-bailable warrants, including those issued in connection with violent incidents at Barasat in 1994 in which the police had registered FIRs against Banerjee, among others.

In a memorandum to Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi, who led a team on a two-day review of poll preparedness in the state, the CPI(M) referred to the 17-year-old incident at Kacharimore in Barasat in which police had carried out a lathicharge. Then DIG (PR) Rachpal Singh was injured in the violence.

"The police had then registered an FIR against Mamata Banerjee," the CPI(M) memorandum had said while referring to the incident in North 24-Parganas district.

Rachpal Singh, now a retired IPS officer, incidentally is now a Trinamool Congress candidate from Tarakeswar seat.

Reacting to the CPI(M) memorandum, Trinamool Congress general secretary Mukul Roy had yesterday wondered as to what had prevented the police from taking any action in the last 17 years.

PTI