The CPI(M) and the police have long been on it. Now, Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee’s list of enemies has a new addition -— the media. She thinks scribes are out to kill her.
Sounds unbelievable, right? But that’s exactly what Mamata and her trusted lieutenants believe and that is why journalists of a popular Bengali news channel were attacked and beaten up on Tuesday night by angry Trinamool activists.
The matter did not end there. After snatching their press cards, camera and bags, two Trinamool leaders filed a complaint against the scribes alleging that they wanted to assassinate Mamata.
The story began when reporter Soma Das and camerapersons A Das and N Hazra, working with a popular news channel, landed up outside the residence of painter Suvaprasanna, where Mamata was to hold a meeting.
Standing on the footpath opposite Suvaprasanna’s residence, they began taking pictures as soon as Mamata and Union minister of state for shipping Mukul Roy arrived, infuriating the duo.
Anjan Bandopadhyay, an editor at the channel, said Roy asked the journalists to leave immediately. “Our journalists refused to do so, arguing that they were standing on the opposite footpath, which was a public place. Roy and Mamata started abusing them, which provoked her associates, who then heckled our scribes and snatched their identity cards and camera. Later, they filed a complaint at the local police station alleging that the scribes had gathered there with the intention of murdering Mamata," Bandopadhyay said.
"There was a conspiracy to kill Mamata," said party general secretary Mukul Roy soon after filing the case. Mamata claimed that none of the scribes could produce identity cards when asked and that their vehicle had chased her convoy when she was on her way to Salt Lake and tried to ram into it.
“The driver of the car did not have a license,” she further claimed and added that the car following her was "spying" on her since her convoy lacked a police escort.
But superintendent of police Rahul Srivastava said the journalists were merely seeking an interview with the minister. The journalists have given a clarification to this effect to the police. The scribes have filed a counter-complaint against the assault. The media in Kolkata, including the Kolkata Press Club, has condemned the attack on journalists.
The police officer said that since a complaint was filed, an inquiry would nevertheless be made.
