Calcutta HC allows former army officers to hold protest against CM Banerjee's remarks

Kolkata, Sep 4 (IANS) The Calcutta High Court on Thursday allowed former army officers to sit on a dharna in protest against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's remarks against the service.

Hearing their petition, a bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh allowed them to sit on a dharna on Mayo Road next Monday.

A section of former army officers had approached the High Court alleging that the Kolkata Police did not give them permission to organise a sit-in. They sought permission to sit on a dharna to mark their protest against the Chief Minister's remarks regarding the army. After hearing their argument, the court allowed them to hold their protest.

On Monday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP-led Central government of "misusing" the army after its jawans dismantled a stage which was erected by Trinamool Congress to protest against atrocities on Bengali-speaking migrant workers in BJP-ruled states.

The army started dismantling the Trinamool's stage erected beside the Gandhi statue in the Maidan area in central Kolkata, which falls under the army's control. However, as soon as the development was reported, Chief Minister Banerjee rushed to the spot and protested against the army’s move. Seeing the Chief Minister at the spot, the jawans stopped dismantling the stage and left the area.

"When I was coming here, about 200 army (personnel) were running away after seeing me. I said: Why are you running away? You are my friends. We are proud of you. It is not your fault. You did it on the words of the BJP. You did it on the words of Delhi. We have this much intelligence. I am not blaming the army," she had said.

"I do not blame the army, but the BJP's vendetta politics is behind it. The double-engine government of the BJP is to be blamed. They are misusing the Army. This is unethical, undemocratic and a misuse of power by the BJP. The Army should have consulted the Kolkata Police before dismantling the stage. They could have called me, and I would have removed the stage within a few minutes."

A day after the incident, the Kolkata Police registered a case relating to the violation of traffic rules and initiated legal action against the driver of the army truck, which almost collided with the vehicle of Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma.

--IANS

sch/vd