KOLKATA: The West Bengal CPM gave a hero’s welcome to former minister Sushanta Ghosh as he was released from Alipore Central jail after 181 days. Ghosh had been granted bail on February 3 by the Supreme Court in the skeleton recovery case. He had been named in an FIR filed nine years ago, as one of the 40 accused in the killing of seven Trinamool Congress workers on September 22, 2002. “I don’t want to say anything right now… I’ll speak when the time is right,” he said. A sea of supporters, including senior CPM leader Rabin Deb, Leader of Opposition Surjya Kanta Mishra, SFI and DYFI leaders had congregated to receive the six-time Garbeta MLA.
“Most people get bail within days, but even in a fake case like this, he (Ghosh) was kept in jail for 180 days,” said Deb, CPM state secretariat member. Ghosh will also address the annual Left Front rally at the Brigade Parade Grounds on February 13.
The CPM top brass had distanced itself from Ghosh for much of his time in jail, allowing party leaders to visit him only four times in six months. In the last few days, both Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Biman Bose have come out in support of Ghosh accusing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of indulging in politics of vendetta. However, both leaders and other top party bosses chose to give the reception ceremony a miss on Tuesday.
Their absence was more than made up by hundreds of party workers who were carrying roses, placards and banners; giving ‘lal salaam’ to Ghosh.