Mamata describe SFI leader's death as 'small and petty' incident

Kolkata/Bangalore: With SFI supporters holding protests in West Bengal over the death of SFI leader Sudipto Gupta, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today stoked further controversy by terming the death as a “small and petty” incident. “It is a small and petty matter. It was an accident, there was no police atrocity. You can see the post-mortem report,” she said in Bangalore where she went to confer West Bengal’s prestigious Vishes Sangeet Mahasamman award on eminent playback singer Manna Dey. [caption id=“attachment_686571” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Mamata Banerjee. AFP[/caption] In sharp contrast, Joint Commissioner (Hqs) Javed Shamim appealed to the media not to jump to conclusion as the investigation was on. “Our appeal to media is please don’t jump to a conclusion because the way the entire incident is being projected is not right,” he said, adding the preliminary autopsy report had suggested that the death was due to a head injury received from a blunt object. Declining to comment on the cause of the death of the SFI leader, Governor M K Narayanan said, “I don’t make any comment … Don’t fuel unnecessary speculation.” The Opposition CPI(M) and the Congress criticised Banerjee for jumping to a conclusion as unwarranted. “The police said when investigation is on don’t jump to any conclusion, but she has reached a conclusion,” senior CPI(M) leader Surjya Kanta Mishra, who is the Leader of the Opposition, said. “Such comments are unwarranted and we reiterate our demand for a judicial inquiry into Sudipto Gupta’s death,” he said. Reiterating the demand for a judicial inquiry, CPI-M leader Md Selim today said the victim had courted arrest and was under police custody. “The accusation is against the police. We want a judicial probe. It is a question of justice,” he said, wondering, “Why she (Mamata) is not accepting the demand?” PTI