Farmer, who was arrested for questioning Mamata, gets bail

Kolkata: Shiladitya Chowdhury, the farmer who was arrested for asking West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee a question at a public meeting at Belpahari on 8 August, has been released on bail today.

Mr Chowdhury was briefly detained on August 8 after Ms Banerjee claimed he was a Maoist. Police arrested him On August 10 for allegedly disrupting the chief minister's public meeting.

Ms Banerjee addressed a public meeting in West Midnapore, once a Naxal stronghold. After her speech, she asked the public, as she often does, if there were any questions.

That's when a farmer in his 40s, Shiladitya Chowdhury asked, "What are you doing for farmers? Farmers are dying because they have no money. Empty promises are not enough."

The chief minister reacted angrily, and said the farmer appeared to a Naxal. He was taken away immediately by the police. He was then released but was arrested from his home later for trying to disrupt the chief minister's meeting. Non-bailable charges against him include criminal intimidation and physically preventing a police officer from doing his duty.

His arrest had led to harsh criticism of the Mamata government by civil society.