Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari filed a complaint through email to the Calcutta Police alleging that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Trinamul Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee have threatened wrongful restraint of BJP leaders in the state by calling a gherao of their residences.
At the TMC's July 21 mega rally here, Abhishek called for a "peaceful gherao" of houses of all BJP leaders from booth level from 10 am to 6 pm on August 5, demanding that funds due to West Bengal be released by the central government headed by the saffron party.
Addressing the mammoth gathering sometime later, the chief minister said that it should be from block-level leaders to the top, and the agitation should be held 100 metres away from their residences.
In the emailed complaint, the BJP MLA from Nandigram claimed that while the TMC’s general secretary gave the call for the gherao, the party supremo supported it during her speech.
"The aforesaid threat hurled by Sri Abhishek Banerjee and Smt Mamata Banerjee of wrongfully restraining as well as wrongfully confining the leaders of BJP were made by them knowing fully well that the same is out and out illegal," Adhikari complained in the email to the officer-in-charge of Hare Street police station in Kolkata, seeking that it be treated as an FIR.
On that day, Abhishek Banerjee had also announced he will go to Delhi on October 2 to hold protests with people who were denied benefits under various welfare schemes. Expressing apprehension that the call for gherao of the residences of BJP leaders in the state may provoke the TMC supporters, Adhiraki wrote in the complaint dated July 22 that it may have an adverse impact on the life and safety of the saffron party leaders, including him.
Adhikari urged the police to treat the complaint as an FIR and commence an investigation into the matter and take immediate steps to prevent circulation of such speeches to ensure the safety and free movement of BJP leaders and workers.
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