Police slap case on drama team

Police slap case on drama team

Statesman News Service
BANKURA, Aug. 16: Street drama ~ mocking the police action on farmers at Nandigram, Singur and Khammam ~ staged in Bankura on the Independence Day caused sensation and the performers were charged with insulting the national flag. Eleven office-bearers and performers of the play were arrested by the police and were produced in the district court today. The artistes, poets and composers criticised the police action and termed it as interference with creative works.

The ‘Silpi Sanskritik Karmi, Buddhijibi Mancha’ was performing a play titled Swadhinata Divas Anandadayak Na Lajjajanak during the Independence Day celebrations yesterday. The group staged street shows at 19 locations in the town. They staged the play in front of the offices of the DM and SP and near the district office of the CPI-M at Schooldanga. The police and the the Intelligence bureau personnel were keeping an eye on the each show. The attack on Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasrin was also featured in the plays.

At Machantala, the police finally stopped the show and arrested the performers and the organisers when the drama was at peak and a nude boy was seen carrying the Tricolour. The SP, Mr Rajesh Singh, said the national flag code prevented carrying the flag in nude. They were booked under sections 2 of the IPC.

Maoist leader in police custody

Chennai, August 16: A designated court trying TADA cases today granted police custody of Maoist leader Sundaramoorthy for five days in connection with the 1992 railway track blast case.

Designated judge T Ramasamy granted the police custody of Sundaramoorthy from today till August 20.

The judge also permitted the Q branch, CID police, Dharmapuri to conduct further investigations in the case while allowing the petition filed by it.

The judge said during interrogation, the police should not ill-treat or harrass the accused. The accused should be provided with food, water, shelter and medical assistance at the cost of the police.

The accused also should be provided with the assistance of a lawyer of his choice in accordance with law. The accused has to be produced before this court on August 20 at 1030 hrs, the judge added.

Pointing out that the accused absconded soon after the crime occured was arrested only on July 9, 2007, the judge said he was of the view that the interrogation of the accused was necessary to bring fresh facts which might help the prosecution to handle the case in a proper way. Hence, it was necessary to order further investigation, the judge added.

According to prosecution, the accused planted a country bomb between Dharmapuri and Palacode railway stations on October 5, 1992 with an intent to “overthrow the government, strike terror in the minds of people to support a claim directly or indirectly for secession of Tamil Nadu from Indian Union”.

Sundaramoorthy was arrested at Tirupur by the Q Branch Police on July 9 on a non-bailable warrant issued by the POTA court.(Agencies)