Kolkata clashes: AISF legislator remanded to police custody till Feb 1

Kolkata, Jan 23

A court here has remanded the lone representative of the All India Secular Front in West Bengal assembly, Naushad Siddique, to police custody till February 1 on charges of attempting to instigate and create violence on the streets of Kolkata on Saturday.

A total of 19 AISF activists were presented at the lower court on Sunday. One of them, a minor, was referred to a juvenile court. The 18 other individuals, including Siddique, were remanded to police custody.

Moving the bail plea on behalf of Siddique and the other accused, their counsel Sammi Ahmed said the police resorted to unprovoked cane-charge on the peaceful assembly of the AISF here on Saturday.

"Even the MLA was not spared. He received injuries on his hand following the police brutality. The MLA was heckled and his car was damaged," Ahmed argued.

However, refuting those arguments, the public prosecutor said the AISF activists under the leadership of Siddique tried to throw the peace in the city out of gear. "They (agitators) have even beaten up the police and hence they should be remanded to police custody," he said.

Finally, after hearing both sides, the judge of the lower court remanded Naushad Siddique to police custody till February 1.

On Saturday afternoon, the Esplanade area located in the heart of Kolkata turned into a battlefield following clashes between the police and the AISF supporters.

The root cause of the chaos was a development at Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district on Saturday morning, where supporters of AISF and Trinamool Congress had clashed with each other.

The AISF leadership claimed that their supporters were harassed by the ruling party workers when they were going to attend a function at the local AISF office to mark the party's foundation day.

However, the Trinamool leadership claimed that it was their supporters who were attacked by AISF-backed 'goons', who even ransacked three Trinamool party offices.

Since Saturday morning, there have been incidents of sporadic violence in Bhangar, and its impact later spread to Kolkata.

Late on Saturday afternoon, the AISF supporters led by Siddique, blocked roads in the Esplanade area, protesting against the Bhangar violence.