New Delhi, Apr 9 (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday faced protests from Left activists over the death of a Student Federation of India member.
The protestors also heckled her Finance Minister, Amit Mitra, outside the Planning Commission office here.
A group of protestors from Left organisations, which waited for the Trinamul Congress chief outside the Commission's office, raised slogans against her when she arrived with Mitra at 3.5pm to meet plan panel Deputy Chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia.
Mamata, who was advised by police not to get out of her car but drive inside, however, chose to walk through the slogan-shouting and placard-wielding crowd into the building.
The protesters heckled Mitra,whose kurta was torn in the melee. Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee and Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim also faced the ire of the activists, who were protesting the death of Sudipto Gupta, a leader of the SFI, the CPI(M)'s student wing.
As SFI and CPI(M) members chanted “Mamata Banerjee hai hai (Mamata down down), TMC hai hai, Hatyari Mamata sharm karo (have shame, killer Mamata)”, an agitated Chief Minister walked into the building shouting that “this is uncivilised behaviour”.
“You know why they are protesting. I have 10 lakh people with me. I can bring them to Delhi. They don't want development of West Bengal,” she said.
Irked by the scene that unfolded outside, she complained to Ahluwalia, “You have created a new precedent. My minister was assaulted. This is scandalous. There were 20 hooligans. Can you stop development of a state like this.”
SFI leader Ritabrata Banerjee said: “Our protest is to show Mamata Banerjee that Sudipto Gupta's death was not a petty matter. People are deeply concerned about what is happening in West Bengal.”
SFI has alleged that 22-year-old Gupta died after he was beaten up by the police, which has maintained that he was killed in an accident.
Mamata had termed the incident as “unfortunate” but later called it a “petty” matter, drawing criticism from the Left.
