Abhishek Banerjee convoy attack: CID plea for custody for arrested Kurmi leaders rejected

A court in West Bengal on Monday turned down the plea of West Bengal Police's CID for custody of Kurmi leaders Rajesh Mahato and Nishikanta Mahato, arrested in connection with the attack on the convoy of Trinamool Congress's national General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Friday evening.

Abhishek Banerjee convoy attack: CID plea for custody for arrested Kurmi leaders rejected
Source: IANS

Kolkata, May 29 (IANS) A court in West Bengal on Monday turned down the plea of West Bengal Police's CID for custody of Kurmi leaders Rajesh Mahato and Nishikanta Mahato, arrested in connection with the attack on the convoy of Trinamool Congress's national General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Friday evening.

Although the public prosecutor moved a plea for 10 days of police custody of the two leaders and seven others arrested in this connection, the court turned down the plea and instead sent them to 14 days of judicial custody.

Coming out of the court Rajesh Mahato told media persons that a conspiracy had been framed against them to destabilise the peaceful movement of the Kurmi community. "We are demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation probe in the matter. We want justice. We have full faith in the legal and judicial system of the country," he said.

He also alleged that the West Bengal government is conspiring to finish the existence of the Kurmi people. "That is exactly why we are asking for a CBI probe to find out the exact conspiracy behind that convoy attack," he added. On Monday, the district court also asked the cops to submit the case diary in the matter within the next 12 days.

Soon after the attack on the convoy of Abhishek Banerjee, first Rajesh Mahato, a lead face of the Kurmi movement and a teacher of a state-run school, was first transferred from a native village to a distant one and was subsequently arrested. Soon after that the cops arrested Nishikanta Mahato, his close aide.