Kolkata, June 16 (IANS) A single-judge Vacation Bench of the Calcutta High Court on Monday permitted Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, to visit Maheshtala where severe clashes between two groups broke out last week.

The single-judge Vacation Bench of Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya also allowed two other BJP leaders to accompany Adhikari on his visit to Maheshtala in South 24 Parganas district, which has been scheduled for Tuesday.

LoP Adhikari approached the Calcutta High Court to visit the troubled pockets under Rabindra Nagar Police Station at Maheshtala and also submitted applications on this count to the said police station and the office of the District Superintendent of Police.

On Monday as the matter came up for hearing, Adhikari’s counsel informed the court that the prohibitory orders in the area, issued earlier amid the violence and tension, were supposed to end on Monday, and hence the police administration should not have any objection to his client’s visit to Maheshtala.

Even the judge agreed to his line of argument and questioned the state government counsel on the points of objection as regards the visit of the LoP to Maheshtala after the prohibitory orders were lifted.

The West Bengal government counsel stated that LoP Adhikari approached the Calcutta High Court instead of going to Maheshtala directly, just to gain publicity in the matter. The state government counsels also appealed to the High Court not to allow the court to be used for political machinations.

In his counter question to the state government counsel, the judge said that if the LoP had problems in going there, what would happen to the common people? Thereafter, the court allowed Adhikari to visit Maheshtala on Tuesday.

However, the court also ruled that LoP Adhikari would not be allowed to conduct a rally there and also refrain from making any controversial comments during his visit.

Clashes between two groups broke out at Maheshtala last week, in which policemen were attacked, shops, houses and Hindu religious establishments were vandalised and several vehicles were torched.

Since the beginning, there had been contradictory claims on what prompted the clashes to break out. The police administration said that the clashes broke out between two groups following a tussle over setting up a shop in the locality.

However, the LoP claimed that the clashes were clearly “communal” in nature. He alleged that miscreants illegally encroached upon the Shiva Temple committee’s land in Ward No. 7 and set up shops there.

Amid the tension, the state administration, on June 14, announced the immediate transfers of the local Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) and the Inspector Incharge (IC) of the local police station.

–IANS

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