A district court here on Friday denied bail to eight government service organisation leaders suspected to be responsible for the attack on the Treasury Branch of the State Bank of India, next door to the Secretariat, on the second day of the national strike by trade unions on January 9.
The court rejected their bail on the ground that the case was one of grave nature. It remanded the trade union functionaries, most of them NGO union office bearers, in judicial custody till February 7.
The police had earlier booked the service organisation leaders on suspicion of having damaged public property, indulged in rioting, unlawful assembly and trespass.
The offence carries a punishment of up to five years of imprisonment and fine or both. If found guilty, the suspects run the risk of dismissal from service.
The State government had suspended the officials from service pending inquiry. The police had sent reports to the respective department heads of the suspects detailing their alleged involvement in the crime.
The police had relied on ‘smoking gun’ video footage from the bank’s security cameras to identify the accused.