Arrest sparks protest

Siliguri, June 13: Protests erupted in the Siliguri subdivisional court this afternoon after Pradhannagar police slapped attempt-to-murder charges on seven youths arrested from Ganesh Ghosh Colony in connection with the violence that rocked the town yesterday.

Around 500 people, including lawyers as well as members of the Jana Jagaran, Amra Bangali and the DYFI, gathered on the court premises demanding the immediate release of the seven, who had been picked up in the early hours of today.

“All seven should be released unconditionally or else police should also arrest people from Bhanunagar who threw stones at houses in Ganesh Ghosh Colony,” Amra Bangali leader Khushiranjan Mondol said. “Otherwise we will call an indefinite bandh in Siliguri from tomorrow.”

A 300-strong crowd opposed to the Gorkhaland demand had tried to storm the Nepali-dominated Bhanunagar across the Mahananda yesterday. However, the police could not explain why these seven in particular were arrested or why Section 307 (attempt to murder) was included among the charges.

“It seems that the Pradhannagar police arrested them randomly to set an example to the rest that they cannot attack policemen at will, as they did yesterday,” a senior police officer said on condition of anonymity.

The seven are Biplab Roy, Pappu Ghosh, Sanjit Saha, Lalchand Das, Gouranga Bala, Dolon Das and Bapi Roy. “We have investigated and found that they have no political affiliations, although they were involved in yesterday’s incident,” an intelligence official said.

Today, when the seven were produced in court, more than 100 lawyers represented them free of charge. Acting chief judicial magistrate Ranendranath Makal granted the youths bail against a bond of Rs 1,000 each and asked them to appear before the officer-in-charge of the Pradhanangar police station once a week.

“We pointed out to the magistrate that the police had not submitted any evidence to show what kind of injuries these seven had inflicted and on whom. The seizure list showed only stones and eight bamboo sticks as deadly weapons,” said one of the lawyers, Utpal Ranjan Sarkar.

“Whatever evidence has been provided doesn’t go to show it was an attempt to murder,” the lawyer quoted the judge as saying. “He asked the police to file a fresh case, but by an officer not lower than the rank of an additional police superintendent,” Sarkar added.

There were jubilant scenes when the seven youths emerged from the court’s lock-up at 3.20pm. They were garlanded and taken around town by more than 100 youths on motorcycles shouting anti-Gorkha Janmikti Morcha slogans.