Minister has no business to shield guilty: Bengal governor

By IANS,

Kolkata : West Bengal Governor M.K. Narayanan Thursday said Trinamool Congress leader and state minister Firhad Hakim, who allegedly was shielding a party leader accused in a policeman’s murder, had “no business” doing so.


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“Whatever happened is very unfortunate and should never have happened. The guilty should be arrested. As for (urban development minister) Firhad Hakim, if he is protecting, he has no business to do that,” Narayanan said to a poser by the media on Hakim’s alleged effort to shield Trinamool councillor Mohammad Iqbal who is yet to be arrested despite being named in the first information report (FIR).

Putting the onus on the investigation agency to take action in the matter, he said: “We should uphold law and order.”

Narayanan was speaking during his visit the residence of Sub-Inspector Tapas Chowdhury, who was shot from close range while trying to control clashing students in Harimohan Ghose College in the Garden Reach area Tuesday.

Iqbal has been charged with rioting, attempt to murder and certain sections of the Arms Act but is yet to be arrested. He was seen at the spot of the incident, threatening a policeman and mobilising his supporters.

Video footage aired by television channels showed Iqbal standing beside Sheikh Shubhaan, the man who was caught on TV firing the bullet that allegedly killed the policeman.

Hakim Wednesday had defended Iqbal saying, he did not believe that the TMC councillor was involved in the incident.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who too visited Chowdhury’s residence Thursday expressed her anger over the allegations and accused the media of fabricating facts.

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