Trinamool to approach ECI over NIA ‘excesses’ in Bengal

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress has decided to approach the Election Commission of India (ECI) with complaints of “excesses” committed by a section of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in West Bengal.

Sources said that Trinamool, instead of approaching the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer, will directly approach ECI in New Delhi.

“We have already sought an appointment with the ECI. Two Trinamool Rajya Sabha members will submit a memorandum to the ECI,” a senior Trinamool leader said.

Moreover, a two-member delegation of Trinamool Congress including the West Bengal Minister of State in charge of Finance Chandrima Bhattacharya and the Trinamool General Secretary Kunal Ghosh will visit Bhupatinagar on Sunday and talk to people and learn what happened between the people and the NIA team.

Earlier, the NIA team was attacked by local people in Bhupatinagar in the East Midnapore district when they were returning after detaining two Trinamool Congress leaders Balai Charan Maity and Monobrata Jana accused of involvement in a blast at Bhupatinagar in December 2022, in which three persons were killed.

This was the second attack on the central investigating agency in three months in West Bengal.

On January 5, ED and CAPF personnel were attacked by the locals in Sandeshkhali in which Trinamool leader Sheikh Shahjahan has been arrested

Soon after the attack, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee blamed NIA for the incident, saying that NIA harassed the women in Bhupatinagar.