Cop shot dead in college poll clash in Kolkata

A sub-inspector (SI) of the Special Branch of the Kolkata Police was shot dead when members of the Congress and Trinamool Congress student unions of a local college clashed in the Garden Reach area in Kolkata on Tuesday.

V Solomon, DC (Port), said that the clash occurred when nomination forms for students' union election in the Hari Mohan Ghosh college were being distributed among candidates.

Tapas Chowdhury, the SI, received bullet injury in the violence which witnessed bombs and brickbats being freely used by students and also local goons.

He was declared brought dead after he was taken to the CMRI hospital nearby.

Solomon said, "The clash took place between Trinamool Congress student wing (TMCP) and Congress student wing (CP) and shots were fired in which the sub-inspector suffered injury leading to his death."

Additional force had been sent and a police picket posted in the area, while transport was being diverted, police sources said.

State urban development minister Firhad Hakim, who visited the area soon after the violence and held talks with the police and students, alleged that criminals sheltered by the Congress and the CPM were involved in the incident.

The state Congress strongly reacted to Hakim's allegation, with its president Pradip Bhattacharya demanding a CBI investigation into the violence.

"The society of the entire state and Kolkata has gone for a toss under this regime. We demand a CBI investigation into the incident," Bhattacharya said.

He also accused the police and the state administration of surrendering constitutional norms and rights to the goons.

Bhattacharya said he would write to the Centre about the incident.

The CPM also slammed the Trinamool Congress-led state government, saying lawlessness in the city had touched a new low during the rule.

"The incident proves a lawless situation in the city. The state administration and police have turned into mute spectators. So such kind of things are bound to happen," CPM central committee member Mohammed Salim said.

Salim also accused Hakim, the urban development minister, of controlling the goons of the area.

Hakim, later claimed that two persons were arrested for involvement in the violence.

"Two persons have been arrested. One of them is Chima who has been arrested along with bombs seized from the local party office of the CPM," the minister said.

He also claimed that TMCP supporters were not involved in the violence and that the violence was organised by criminals of the Congress and the CPM.

Hakim said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had made inquiries about the incident.