Kolkata, Feb 29 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Akash Banerjee and three others were arrested Wednesday for allegedly assaulting a traffic police officer and causing obstruction to traffic, senior government and police officials said.
State Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim, who earlier called it a “minor incident”, said the chief minister, who left for Darjeeling during the day, ordered Akash’s arrest when she heard of the incident.
Reacting to the arrest, Banerjee said: “I don’t have a family of my own. I consider the masses as my family. If anybody commits a crime, he has to bear punishment.”
Akash has been booked under non-bailable section 353 (assault to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty) which carries a prison term of maximum two years, besides bailable sections of 341 (restraining a person wrongfully) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), besides some clauses under the Motor Vehicles Act.
He has been kept in the lock-up of Watgunge police station, and would be presented in court Thursday.
