CM Mamata Banerjee agitates at CBI office after arrest of TMC ministers Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee, Madan Mitra and Sovan Chatterjee; Mass Protest & Stone Pelting instigated by TMC cadres

After the Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday (17 May 2021) arrested heavyweight TMC leaders – Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee, Madan Mitra and former TMC minister & Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee over their alleged involvement in Narada scam and took them to CBI office, the Rabindra Sadan area in Central Kolkata turned into a battlefield as TMC supporters tried to break the police barricades and enter Nizam Palace by pelting stones.

#WATCH | TMC protesters pelted stones on security forces in West Bengal outside the CBI office. pic.twitter.com/GxGUZmIQxe

— ANI (@ANI) May 17, 2021

• Within hours, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reached the CBI office and has been agitating for hours in front of the CBI-DIG office on the 14th floor of Nizam Palace. Earlier today, she had claimed that if her leaders are arrested, she should be arrested too. TMC MP and MLAs Kalyan Bandhopadhyay, Mala Roy, Shantanu Sen and Paresh Pal have also reached Nizam Palace to take stock of the situation.

Welcoming the move, CPI (M) leader Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya said that other leaders from TMC and also defectors who are involved with the ponzi scams should be arrested immediately.

• To maintain the COVID-19 protocol, the Central forces deployed inside the CBI campus and outside the main gate, had to intervene the TMC cadres chanting anti-BJP slogans in front of Nizam Palace, where the CBI office is located. According to CBI sources, charge-sheets for the arrested leaders will be produced in court today.

“We might produce papers and chances are high due to covid protocol the arrested leaders may not be taken to Bankshall court in person,” said the CBI sources adding that the charge-sheet was made in Delhi and through ACB it had reached Kolkata.

Meanwhile, the Governor of West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar showed his concern and tweeted the following.

Invited attention @MamataOfficial “On channels and in public domain I notice arson and pelting of stones at CBI office. Pathetic that Kolkata Police @KolkataPolice and West Bengal Police @WBPolice are just onlookers.
Appeal to you to act and restore law and order.”

— Governor West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar (@jdhankhar1) May 17, 2021

A few days ago, Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar had given permission to the CBI for prosecution of the TMC leaders who have been arrested today.

The TMC has appealed to Kolkata Police to taken action against CBI officials who have arrested the Bengal ministers. It also accused CBI of working at the behest of BJP and Bengal governor.

Further updates will be posted.