By Express News Service
KOLKATA: Two Trinamool Congress women MPs and one woman MLA who were allegedly manhandled at Silchar airport by Assam Police, filed FIRs under non-bailable sections against Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in Alipore and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport police stations on Saturday, accusing him of directing the assault on them.
Cases under Sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) and 120B (punishment of criminal conspiracy) of Indian Penal Code were filed by Karimpur MLA and TMC spokesperson Mahua Moitra in Alipore police station and by Barasat MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and Bangaon MP Mamata Thakur at Airport police station.
The women TMC leaders alleged that they were manhandled on the direct orders of Sarbananda Sonowal. An eight member TMC team comprising six MPs and one MLA and minister each had gone to Silchar on August 2 to address public meetings in Assam after publishing of the final draft of National Register of Citizenship (NRC). However, they were stopped at the airport citing clampdown of Section 144 CrPC and sent back on August 3.
The development comes closely after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was booked in cases under several sections of IPC in three police stations of Assam following her statement that NRC could lead to a civil war in Assam.
On the other hand, TMC workers organised ‘black day’ protests on Saturday across the state against the alleged manhandling of TMC leaders. TMC workers brought out rallies, staged dharnas, blockaded railway and road traffic and burnt effigies wearing black dress and badges as protest against NRC. The protests would continue throughout the state on Sunday.
The case file
Cases under Sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) and 120B (punishment of criminal conspiracy) of IPC were filed by Barasat MP Kakoli Dastidar and Bangaon MP Mamata Thakur.
