Kolkata, Feb 29: In an embarrassment to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, her teenaged nephew Akash Banerjee was today arrested along with three others for assaulting a police sergeant at Kidderpore here.
Special Commissioner of Kolkata Police Shivaji Ghosh told reporters that the arrests were, however, made at the directive of Banerjee, who is now in North Bengal.
The three others arrested were Nitish Singh of Hyde Road, Md Sarmuddin of Circular Garden Reach Road and Amit Kumar Mishra of Munshiganj Road.
Ghosh said that an ash-colour Tata Arya car bearing numberplate WB-06H 5686 was stopped for violating traffic rules near Vidyasagar Setu causing a traffic jam.
When the police sergeant asked the car to stop, one of the four occupants started abusing him, saying he was the chief minister's nephew and that the police were not doing their duty.
Ghosh said that Akash, son of Banerjee's second eldest brother, pushed the sergeant and assaulted him.
Policemen, led by the officer-in-charge of Watgunge police station, rushed to the spot thereafter. All four were taken to the local police station and reportedly let off.
Asked why they were let off after they were taken to the police station before they were finally arrested, Ghosh said, “We received a complaint and are making an inquiry.
“When the chief minister came to know about the incident before flying to North Bengal, she instructed us to arrest them immediately,” he said.
Ghosh said that the arrests were made under section 353 (assault to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty), 341 (wrongfully restraining a person), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 114 (abettor present, when offence is committed) of IPC and 122, 177 of the Motor Vehicles Act.
Of the six sections on which they have been charged, section 353 is a cognisable offence carrying a maximum term of two years imprisonment.
The car was owned by Asgar Khan, who was not present, he said. All four would be produced in court tomorrow.
