Bengal govt employees forum approaches Calcutta HC against police action

Kolkata, Sep 2 (IANS) The Joint Forum of West Bengal government employees, on Monday, approached a single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court seeking protection against coercive police action following an FIR registered against some of their members for participating in the Nabanna Abhijan (march to state secretariat) on August 27 condemning the R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital rape-murder case.The Joint Forum, an umbrella body of different state government employees spearheading the long agitation for dearness allowance to be made on par with that of the Central government employees and the arrears accrued on it, has supported the Nabanna Abhijan.The August 27 march was convened by a group of students and several members of the forum joined the protest.Now with FIRs being registered against some forum members for joining the march, the body has approached the Calcutta High Court for protection against coercive police action.The single judge bench of Justice Rajarshi Bhardwaj has admitted the petition and the matter is expected to come up for hearing in the second half on Monday only.In the petition, the forum has expressed apprehension that their members against whom FIRs have been registered are apprehending arrests at any time and hence are seeking anticipatory protection.Last week another single judge bench of Justice Amrita Sinha had directed the immediate release of one of the conveners of Nabanna Abhijan, Sayan Lahiri, after the latter was arrested by police.Although Lahiri was released on August 31 afternoon following the Calcutta High Court order, the state government has approached the Supreme Court challenging the decision of Justice Sinha’s bench. The matter is scheduled for hearing at the apex court on Monday only.Pockets in Kolkata and adjacent Howrah district turned into virtual battlefields on August 27 afternoon, following clashes between the police and the participants at the protest march. A total of 220 arrests were made in this connection in addition to the 25 preventive arrests made before the march.–IANSsrc/dpb