Kolkata Police arrest 3 for vandalism at Bengal Congress headquarters

Kolkata, Aug 30 (IANS) Kolkata Police on Saturday arrested three persons in connection with the attack on the West Bengal Congress headquarters in the city.

At the same time, the police have started a search for BJP leader Rakesh Singh, who is accused of masterminding the attack at Bidhan Bhawan. Police said the arrests have been made based on an FIR lodged by the Congress on Friday against the attack and defacing of posters of party leaders Rahul Gandhi and others.

“Three persons were arrested. Search is on for others, including Rakesh Singh, against whom the FIR was lodged," said a senior officer of Kolkata Police.

A case has also been registered against the accused persons under the Arms Act. Sources said over 20 people have been named in the police complaint lodged at Entally Police Station in Central Kolkata.

After registering an FIR, police went to the house of Rakesh Singh on Friday night, but the BJP leader was not at his house.

On Friday, a group of BJP workers led by its leader Rakesh Singh went on a rampage at the state Congress headquarters at CIT Road in central Kolkata, burning party flags and defacing posters of party leaders Rahul Gandhi and others to mark their protest against alleged abuses hurled at Prime Minister Narendra Modi during Rahul Gandhi's 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' in Bihar.

The workers at first protested outside the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) office 'Bidhan Bhawan' in central Kolkata, then they burnt Congress party flags and tyres. Thereafter, they went inside the party office premises, tore up posters and banners and defaced photographs of senior party leaders.

Following the incident, Congress party's West Bengal unit President Subhankar Sarkar demanded the immediate arrest of those who were involved in the attack. Led by him, Congress workers also put up a road blockade at Moulali crossing to mark their protest against the vandalism.

The BJP has been criticising senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, after a purported video showed an unidentified person using a Hindi expletive against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his mother from a dais during the Voter Adhikar Yatra in Darbhanga town of Bihar, from where Gandhi, Congress general secretary Priyanka Vadra and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav had left for Muzaffarpur on motorcycles on Wednesday.

The Bihar Police on Friday arrested the person who allegedly used abusive language against the PM.

--IANS

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