Thaindian News

Kolkata, May 29 (IANS) A media meet called by intellectuals close to the Trinamool Congress Saturday holding West Bengal’s ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) responsible for the Gyaneshwari Express tragedy ended in chaos Saturday.
Police also filed a case against them for violation of the model code of conduct in force for state-wise civic polls.

Trouble began in the meet at the Press Club when scribes protested against the intellectuals, including prominent painters Shuvaprasana and Jogen Choudhury and actor Bratya Basu and Jogen Choudhury, abruptly ending the conference giving no chance to the media to pose queries.

There were exchanges between the journalists and the intellectuals who claimed that the West Bengal State Election Commission had ordered that the media meet be stopped immediately.

The election panel got cracking after CPI-M state secretary Biman Bose verbally complained that those addressing the media were campaigning for the Trinamool for Sunday’s civic polls by levelling allegations against his party in violation of the election rules.

Canvassing for elections to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and 80 municipalities spread across the state had ended at 3 p.m. Friday.

There was more drama in store as police entered the Press Club.

Later, Joint Commissioner of Police Javed Shamim said a complaint has been filed, as per the order of the state election commission, against those who addressed the media.

During their introductory remarks, the intellectuals accused the CPI-M of having masterminded the train attack ahead of the municipal polls to score brownie points over Trinamool, whose chief Mamata Banerjee is the railways minister.