Kolkata:
As the Centre was trying to placate an upset Mamata Banerjee who threatened to quit the government over the recent petrol price hike, the West Bengal Chief Minister's famed temper was at display elsewhere. At the receiving end was the Kolkata Police Commissioner who Ms Banerjee reportedly shouted at for arresting two members of her party - the Trinamool Congress - for rioting and arson.
The incident occurred on Monday night after the Chief Minister unexpectedly stormed into a city police station and forced the release of two Trinamool workers. They had been arrested after an altercation with the police over bursting crackers outside a cancer hospital. A mob had even ransacked the police station, after the two men were allegedly detained.
But to everyone's shock, Ms Banerjee ordered the release of Tapas Saha and Sambhu Sau. No case has been registered against them.
Officially police denied having taken anyone into custody. Asked whether there was any intervention by the chief minister, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) D P Singh said "The investigation is on and so far there has been no arrest. So, the question of intervention by the chief minister to release the arrested doesn't arise."
Mr Saha works full-time at Banerjee's Kalighat party office. He is secretary of the Bhowanipore club, and has recently got a job with the Indian Railways. He was reportedly taken to hospital with injuries on his legs.
Sambhu Sau said, "Police arrested me and Tapas, threw us in the lock-up and began beating us. We are members of Trinamool Congress. The police refused to release us even after our leaders, Dr Nirmal Majhi, Dulal Sen, and Minister for Urban Development Firhad Hakim reached the police station. They relented only after Didi arrived. Didi is God to us. Didi arranged for my treatment and sent Tapas to hospital."
Defending Ms Banerjee's actions, Trinamool MP Debabrata Bandopadhyay told NDTV that she did it to pacify the crowds. "She was acting as someone who lived in the neighbourhood. She did a very good thing, no regrets about it." Mr Bandopadhyay said.
The CPI(M) and the BJP have slammed the chief minister for allegedly pressuring the police. "It is reprehensible that the chief minister, who holds the Home (Police) department, herself stormed into a police station to force the police to release two detained persons," CPI(M) central committee member Md Selim told reporters in Kolkata.
"The chief minister led her party workers for the release of the detained persons who are her brother's associates, from the police station by force," the CPI(M) leader alleged.
State BJP president Rahul Sinha led a party delegation to Governor M K Narayanan at the Raj Bhavan seeking his intervention in the matter.
(with agency inputs)