West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury during a protest against the state government as part of Bangla Bandh at Berhampore in Murshidabad district of West Bengal on Tuesday. (PTI photo)
Yesterday West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had mocked him for taking off his shirt and daring the police to fire at him. You are no Sourav Ganguly, she had said. Today the police booked state Congress chief and lawmaker Adhir Chowdhury for attempt to murder and for assaulting government officials and preventing them from entering office during a 12-hour bandh called by his party.
The incident had taken place at Behrampore in Murshidabad district yesterday. Congress workers had tried to prevent government employees from entering their office. The police had charged batons on the Congress workers to let the government workers through. When Mr Chowdhury heard about the use of batons, he rushed to the spot, tore off his shirt and dared the police to fire at him.
In Kolkata, Mamata Banerjee had responded to pictures of Mr Chowdhury in a vest on TV by saying, "Some people are trying to get photographed by going around in Sourav Ganguly-style. That style doesn't suit everyone...one day such people will become photographs themselves."
The police have now booked Mr Chowdhury for attempt to murder, assault to deter public servant from discharge of his duty, voluntarily causing hurt, rioting and unlawful assembly.
An angry Mr Chowdhury said in Kolkata today that, "Mamata Banerjee wants to arrest me and other Congress workers because she wants to grab Murshidabad district and weaken the party in the state. She thought we would become a signboard party. But she has realised her mistake and is scared, just as she was scared of (Maoist leader) Kishanji. But you cannot shut us up with your politics of murder. You will fail, fail, fail."
The Congress had called a 12 hour-bandh across West Bengal yesterday to protest the murder of a Congress student wing activist at Sabang in West Midnapore on August 7.