Within a day of the assault on a headmaster by a group of Trinamul Congress activists at Jadavpur Vidyapeath, chief minister and party supremo Mamata Banerjee acted tough leading to the arrest of a party worker.
Furious over the incident, she ordered the arrest of Rupak Chattopadhyay, the Trinamul Congress worker, according to official sources.
On Sunday morning, the Jadavpur police rounded him up from his house at Prince Ghulam Hussein Shah Road. Mr Chattopadhyay, in his mid-30s, was booked on charges of assault. Later, the accused was produced at the Alipore court which remanded him in jail custody till December 22.
Trinamul Congress general secretary Mukul Roy made it clear that the party will take strong action if the involvement of any worker is found in any such incident. Party MP Sudip Bandopadhyay also said at programme: “Some untoward incidents are happening which we are not liking at all. These will not be tolerated.”
Expressing his gratitude to the chief minister for her action, Rajendra Prasad Mondal, who was assaulted, said: “Being a teacher, the incident had left me in a state of shock. But the chief minister’s action has made me proud. I congratulate her for tough administrative role by rising above the partyline.”
Echoing him, president of the West Bengal State Council for Higher Education Sugato Marjit said: “In the past, Ms Banerjee had proved her tough stand rising above the partyline and this time too she has done it.”
Significantly, Trinamul Congress councillor of ward no. 95, Tapan Dasgupta, who was allegedly leading the group of party workers when they stormed into Mr Mondal’s office at the school, was kept out of the loop.