Agartala/Kolkata, Aug 11 (IANS): The Tripura police has registered a case against six TMC leaders including the partys national General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu and Rajya Sabha Member Dola Sen, for allegedly obstructing police officers from performing their duties.
Director General of Tripura Police V. S. Yadav on Wednesday said that a suo-moto complaint was filed on Tuesday against the six TMC leaders for "obstructing official duties and misbehaving" with the police officers of Khowai police station on Sunday.
"Police would investigate the case now and if necessary they would be summoned," the police chief told IANS.
Another police official of Khowai district said that the TMC leaders were booked under Section 186 (obstruction to public servants in discharge of his public function) and 36 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.
Besides Banerjee, Basu and Sen, the three other leaders who were booked by the police include TMC's Chief Spokesman Kunal Ghosh, Subal Bhowmik and Prakash Das (ex-Tripura Minister).
West Bengal's PWD and Law Minister Moloy Ghatak said that the TMC would fight to restore democracy in Tripura.
"The BJP is so scared of Mamata Banerjee (West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo) that they have started to file false allegations against Abhishek Banerjee and other TMC leaders of West Bengal and Tripura," the Minister, who is infrequently visiting Tripura since last month, told the media in Agartala on Wednesday.
TMC leader and former MLA Subal Bhowmik, who along with many other Congress leaders joined the TMC last month, said that on Sunday, led by Banerjee and Basu, they went to Khowai police station after 14 TMC leaders were arrested for alleged "violation of Covid protocols".
"After the local court released the 14 TMC leaders on personal bond, we returned to Agartala. That time police did not mention any issues against us and on Sunday they filed a suo-moto case against us," Bhowmik said.
TMC General Secretary and Chief spokesman Kunal Ghosh said: "BJP will not succeed against Trinamool by registering false cases and violence."
"BJP is very scared. They are a divided house. BJP should first control their organization," Ghosh tweeted in Bengali.
In a video that went viral on social media, the TMC leaders were seen raising their fingers asking the Khowai police station officials "why the 14 TMC leaders and members were arrested after being attacked by the BJP workers".
Meanwhile, West Bengal's opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari rejected Mamata Banerjee's allegations that they were denied basic medical aid and water when the TMC's 14 leaders and workers were detained by the Khowai police personnel.
"Hereby refuting baseless allegation of the TMC Supremo that her assets weren't even provided a glass of water in Tripura. Would request her to accord herself the prestigious Mithya-Shree Award (award for falsehood).
"Please accept this request and kindly make us feel obliged," tweeted Adhikari, who joined the BJP before the recent Bengal assembly polls after quitting a ministerial post in the TMC led government.