Kolkata, June 18 (IANS) Former state minister Aroop Biswas on Thursday faced protests from a section of lawyers at the Judge’s Court in Kolkata, where he had gone to meet his lawyer.

On hearing that he had arrived there, a group of lawyers appeared outside his lawyer’s chamber with eggs and began protesting. They demanded that the proceeds from ticket sales for Lionel Messi’s GOAT India Tour event at Yuva Bharati Krirangan in December last year be refunded.

Meanwhile, another section of lawyers tried to convince the protesters to stop. As the protest escalated, the lights in the lawyer’s chamber were switched off. Finally, at around 6:15 p.m., the police came and took Aroop Biswas out of the chamber. When the police took him out, eggs were thrown at the former minister. It is not clear whether the eggs hit him.

Earlier in the day, Aroop appeared at Bidhannagar South Police Station around 10 a.m. in connection with the complaint registered against him by the main event manager of Messi’s event, Satadru Dutta. The police had summoned him three times before, but he avoided appearing each time.

On Thursday, he was questioned there for three hours. The entire session was videographed. Aroop Biswas, a former Trinamool MLA from Tollygunge, has already received protection from the Calcutta High Court in the Messi case.

The court said that the police will not be able to take any strict action against him till July 2. However, the former minister will have to comply with some conditions. Satadru Dutta has already approached the division bench of the Calcutta High Court, challenging the single bench’s decision granting protection to Aroop.

After leaving the police station, he roamed around various streets of Kolkata for about two hours. Later, he went to the Judge’s Court in the Alipore area to meet his lawyer, Gopal Halder. As soon as the news spread that Aroop had arrived at the court, a section of lawyers started protesting around the lawyer’s chamber, many of them carrying eggs.

The protesters started banging on the door of the lawyer’s chamber, leaving the former minister stuck inside. Another section of lawyers tried to convince the protesters that anyone, whether accused or complainant, can come to the lawyer’s chamber in the court and should not be stopped. However, that did not stop the protests.

The lawyers stopped trying to enter the chamber but continued their protests against Aroop. On the other hand, Aroop stood inside the lawyer’s chamber for a long time before sitting down.

As the protests continued outside, the chamber’s lights were turned off. Finally, the Kolkata Police escorted Aroop out of the chamber. At that time, some people threw eggs at him.

–IANS

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