GUWAHATI: Just days ahead of civic polls in Tripura, Bengali actress and Trinamool Congress (TMC) youth leader Saayoni Ghosh was arrested by Tripura Police on Sunday, November 21, 2021.
She was booked under IPC sections 307 (attempt to murder), 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 120B (criminal conspiracy).
The incident unfolded on the eve of TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee’s roadshow in Tripura capital Agartala. He is scheduled to reach the state on Sunday night. Several TMC leaders, including Kunal Ghosh and Sushmita Dev, are in the Tripura capital for poll campaign.
The police said Saayoni was arrested based on a complaint and claimed that they found preliminary evidence against her after recording the statements of witnesses. The actress will be produced in a court on Monday.
“The allegation against her is that she is trying to promote enmity between groups of people. We also got preliminary evidence of attempt to murder. It is related to driving (in Agartala), so we arrested her,” Additional Superintendent of Police (Urban) of West Tripura district, B Jagadeswar Reddy told journalists but did neither elaborate the criminal conspiracy nor the case of attempt to murder.
“There were four other people (including the driver) in the car. We have got their details. We are trying to arrest them,” he added.
The TMC alleged BJP goons had attacked a police station where Saayoni was being interrogated earlier in the day. Kunal Ghosh and other TMC leaders were at the police station then. Ghosh said the attack and the actress’s arrest were pre-planned to spoil Banerjee’s roadshow.
“The officer-in-charge of the police station had visited the hotel where Saayoni is staying and asked her to report to the police station for questioning. We had asked for the reasons. We said no notice was served on her. The officer could not give any answer,” Ghosh said.
He said despite the BJP “goons” carrying out the attack with bricks, sticks and rods, none of them were arrested.
“The police levelled some baseless and imaginary charges against her. The BJP is going to lose the civic polls and that’s why, they are doing all these things,” Ghosh said.
He said the TMC could not move for bail as the actress was not produced in court.
“The police have been instructed not to produce her in the court. They also know what is happening is not right. They got beaten up by the BJP goons but they cannot do anything,” he added.
TMC’s state leader Subal Bhowmik said four to five party workers and some cops were injured and his car was damaged in the attack. He said a stone pelted by the assailants hit him on the back.
The municipal elections will be held on November 25.