Roopa Ganguly, arrested for 'disturbing functioning at police station', gets bail

Kolkata: A Kolkata court on Thursday granted bail to former Rajya Sabha member and the actress-turned-politician Roopa Ganguly who was arrested earlier in the day after her night-long sit-in demonstration in front of a police station here, demanding the release of local woman BJP leader Rubi Das.

Ganguly, a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was accused of "disturbing the normal functioning at the police station". After she was presented at the court, her counsel moved her bail plea and argued that his client, as a leader of a political party, was just at a sit-in protest in front of the Bansdroni Police Station.

"The police arrested some people who were protesting in the area following the tragic road-accident death of a school-boy. Among those who were arrested included activists of a particular political party. My client raised the valid question that the police did not arrest the driver of the pay-loader that had hit the school-boy which prompted his death," Ganguly's counsel argued.

The public prosecutor opposed the bail plea and claimed that the actress-turned politician was disturbing the normal functioning at the police station.

Finally, after hearing the arguments presented by both sides, the court granted bail to Ganguly on a personal bond of Rs 1,000.

Even before the court proceedings began, there was a war of words between Ganguly and the new Kolkata Police Commissioner, Manoj Kumar Verma.

"During my sit-in-protest, I did nothing that could disturb the normal functioning of the police. The police have unnecessarily arrested me," she said.

However, Verma said that the former Rajya Sabha member was constantly demanding the release of those who have been arrested.

"We tried to explain to her that in such matters the law would take its own course. But she still continued with her sit-in protest. Her actions were creating hindrances towards normal functioning. So we arrested her in accordance with law," the police commissioner said.

Ganguly had claimed that Das and other BJP supporters were organising a peaceful protest against the accident when they were attacked by the local Trinamool Congress activists. She also alleged that the police instead of taking action against the attackers arrested the demonstrators

She continued with the sit-in-protest for the entire night and finally, a little after 10 a.m. on Thursday, Kolkata Police declared her arrested. Soon she was taken away from the Bansdroni Police Station complex by a police vehicle.

After the arrest, the actress-turned-politician had claimed that the cops even did not allow her to take her bag along with her while being taken away.

The police claimed that she had been arrested on charges of deterring on-duty police officials from discharging their lawful duties.