West Bengal: Union Minister denies vandalism, Congress backs him

Kolkata: Minister of State for Railways, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary, has denied vandalism in Murshidabad and claimed that he and Congress workers did nothing untoward, though an FIR has been registered with regard to the ransack at the residence of the District Magistrate.

As many as 1200 Congress workers were booked in Murshidabad after they, led by Union Minister Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, ransacked the District Magistrate's office in full view of cameras.

However, the police remained mum on whether Chowdhary himself has been named in the FIR. The police took a suo motu case while the district authorities themselves shied away from lodging a formal complaint, even as the Congress MP continued to remain defiant.

As many as 1200 Congress workers were booked, but the police remained silent on whether Chowdhary was named in the FIR.

The Congress party too backed Chowdhary openly, even hinting that the District Magistrate was acting at the behest of the ruling Trinamool Congress.

Pradip Bhattacharya, West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president, said, "My feeling is this that possibly he was instructed by some corners not to come and meet the Congress. That's why he did not meet us."

Both Trinamool and arch rivals, the CPM, though, have found common ground in condemning the incident.

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