Councillor gets cop summons over stir

Kolkata: MMiC and ward 81 councillor in KMC Baiswanor Chattopadhyay has been summoned by the New Market Police Station in connection with a protest held against the locking of the historic KMC Council Chamber. Sources claimed the incident happened on Friday, when there was uproar among Trinamool councillors after they found the chamber locked. Trinamool councillors eventually held a session outside it in the councillors' club room, the first time in the history of KMC.The room was not opened despite the chairperson's request, alleged Trinamool councillors. They also protested in the office of the KMC secretary, who then lodged a police complaint. This led the police to lodge an FIR the same day under BNS sections 126, 221, amongst others. It is in this regard that police sent summons to Chattopadhyay, Lalbazar sources said. Municipal commissioner Smita Pandey said on Sunday that KMC lodged an FIR against specific Trinamool councillors for heckling municipal secretary Kishore Kumar Biswas. "If someone heckles a public servant, we have to take legal action," said Pandey. Chattopadhyay said, "The municipal secretary and others did not open the session room for us. According to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation Act 1980, the secretary arranges the session on the chairman's instructions. Without informing us or the chairman, the secretary closed the session. We held the session in the councillors' room and requested the secretary to come. If this is a crime, if there is a case, then there's nothing to say. They are trying to silence us through the police." Sources said that at least two Trinamool councillors are planning to apply for anticipatory bail while another has already approached court. State municipal affairs minister Agnimitra Paul on Sunday said that action will be taken against those who create problems. "We will take action against all such matters where politics is being done by obstructing the path of development," Paul said. "Whoever you could be, a councillor, an MLA or an MP, just because you are in the opposition, if you feel you can heckle a govt official and beat up the police, this govt will not tolerate this," Paul added. Mayor Firhad Hakim earlier congratulated his colleagues on the protest. "All elected representatives have been gravely insulted. This has become a precedent. Suddenly, if I wish, I can close or open the House … but this is entirely the chairperson's responsibility. The situation today is very unfortunate. Therefore, I congratulate all my colleagues, the councillors who have come here. We will continue our fight to protect our democracy."