By A Newsman

Kolkata, 19 August: THE police in Behrampore in Murshidabad district have registered FIR under non-bailable sections against Bengal state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury for allegedly inciting violence and threatening to kill government officials during the party’s 12-hour Bengal bandh yesterday.

Congress’ Raninagar MLA Firoza Begam, Murshidabad zila parishad sabhdhipati Shiladitya Halder and a few other leaders have also been named in the suo motu FIR that the police registered on Wednesday.

Mr Chowudhury and his co-leaders have been accused of damaging public property, preventing government servants from official work and intimidating them as well. Besides this, they have been accused of inciting Congress workers to resort to violence across Bengal to enforce the shutdown that was called against the alleged lawlessness in the state under Trinamool rule.

Congress workers had resorted to vandalism in several parts of the state, especially in south Bengal districts, after the Bengal Congress president had himself hit the streets in Behrampore when police tried to remove bandh picketers by force.

Mr Chowdhury, who is a Lok Sabha MP, had also taken off his shirt and dared the policemen to fire bullets on him, instead of beating up Congress workers.

Commenting on the FIR that has been registered by police against them, Mr Chowdhury alleged that it was being done at the behest of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who wants to “muzzle opposition’s voice”.