Bengal Congress chief booked for attempt to murder

Kolkata: A day after he led an agitation by party workers enforcing a shutdown, West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was on Wednesday slapped with non-bailable charges including attempt to murder.

Chowdhury had spearheaded an agitation in his Lok Sabha constituency Baharampur in Murshidabad district seeking to enforce a statewide 12-hour shutdown on Tuesday.

"Chowdhury has been booked under several charges including attempt to murder, deterring public servant from discharging his duty and damaging public property," said Murshidabad Superintendent of Police C. Sudhakar.

Along with Chowdhury, a host of party workers and supporters have been booked under similar charges.

The development comes a day after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee mocked Chowdhury who had taken off his shirt in protest against police baton-charging his party workers during the shutdown.

Accusing the administration of employing terror tactics to foil the shutdown, Chowdhury took off his shirt, daring police to fire at him.

Banerjee, also the Trinamool Congress supremo, ridiculed Chowdhury saying such an act suited only former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly who had taken off his shirt on the Lord's balcony after India won the Natwest trophy final in 2002.

Reacting to his booking, Chowdhury said the move was indicative of the Trinamool's bid to finish off the Congress in the state.

"The CPI-M had tried this before but they failed, the Trinamool is also doing the same but they will not be able to finish Congress," he said.