BJP leader Kushal Pandey was arrested by Hare Street police on Wednesday evening in connection with the alleged egg attack on lawyers at Kolkata’s Bankshall court, hours before advocates were scheduled to march to the city police headquarters at Lalbazar demanding action in the case.
Pandey was identified as the prime accused in the incident, which was reported on October 1. Police sources said he was called to Hare Street police station on Wednesday evening, where he allegedly surrendered before being formally arrested. The arrest led representatives of lawyers’ associations to call off the proposed march and gherao of the police headquarters.
The case began when a group of agitators allegedly gathered at Bankshall court as arrested YouTuber Dipak Byapari was being produced before a court. Byapari had been arrested over a series of social media posts allegedly targeting chief minister Suvendu Adhikari. During the commotion, the agitators allegedly threw eggs, one of which hit a lawyer.
An altercation then broke out between lawyers and the protesters. Four lawyers were reportedly injured in the confrontation, prompting members of the legal fraternity to organise protests and road blockades in different parts of Kolkata. The lawyers alleged that the police had not taken adequate action against those responsible and repeatedly demanded Pandey’s arrest.
The proposed march to Lalbazar had been announced for October 8. Advocates said they wanted action against all those allegedly involved in the assault and stronger security arrangements at court premises. The mobilisation placed the functioning and security of one of Kolkata’s major court complexes at the centre of a wider dispute between the legal fraternity and the police.
The arrest came before the lawyers could begin their planned action, but it did not end their demands. Representatives of the lawyers’ associations said they would continue their agitation until action was taken against all those allegedly involved in the attack. The source report did not provide details of the specific charges filed against Pandey or the next scheduled court proceeding in the case.
