TMC leaders Abhishek Banerjee, Dola Sen, Kunal Ghosh summoned by Tripura Court

A court in Tripura's Khowai district has summoned several Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders, including party national general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee, Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen and newly elected MLA Kunal Ghosh, in connection with a 2021 case relating to alleged misbehaviour with police personnel and an attempt to vandalise a police station, a public prosecutor said on Thursday.

Public Prosecutor of Khowai District Court Abhijit Bhattacharjee said the case originated in 2021 after 14 TMC workers were arrested by police in Khowai in connection with a specific case and were subsequently produced before a court.

During the arrest, then West Bengal Education Minister Bratya Basu, Banerjee, Sen, Ghosh and their supporters allegedly misbehaved with the officer-in-charge of Khowai Police Station and attempted to vandalise the police station premises, Bhattacharjee said.

Following the incident, police lodged a case and submitted it before the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Khowai.

"The CJM took cognisance of the matter and issued summons against the accused persons," the public prosecutor said.

Bhattacharjee said Basu challenged the proceedings against him before the High Court and was subsequently discharged from the case.

"The other accused persons in the case, apart from Bratya Basu, will face prosecution in accordance with law," he said.

According to the prosecutor, the court issued summons in April this year directing the accused to appear in person before the Khowai District Court.

June 22 has been fixed for their personal appearance before the court, he added.

The case relates to events that took place during a political visit by TMC leaders to Tripura in 2021, when the party was seeking to expand its organisational presence in the northeastern state.

There was no immediate response from the Trinamool Congress leaders named in the case.