‘Maoist’ farmer gets bail

On August 13,his bail petition was denied by a local court in Jhargram.

While Mamata was addressing a rally on August 8 in the Maoist-hit Belpahari in West Midnapore district,Shiladitya stood up and asked her a question on the rising price of fertilisers.

An angry Mamata immediately branded him a “Maoist”,following which Shiladitya was detained and taken for interrogation by the police. He was,however,let off that day but was arrested two days later and booked for “disrupting a public rally,entering a high-security zone and assaulting police personnel.”

However,police could not establish that he was either a “Maoist” as alleged by the Chief Minister or that he had assaulted any policeman.

The investigation of the past 14 days could not produce any evidence that could corroborate the charge as mentioned in the FIR that Shiladitya pushed senior police officials and injured officials on duty. He was released on a personal bond of Rs 1,000.

In the order sheet,the judge observed: “The case diary is silent about any injury sustained by any of the police personnel.”

In his statement recorded at Jhargram sub-divisional correctional home,Shiladitya has stated about his financial and social condition and claimed he had raised his pitch as he had wanted to draw the Chief Minister’s attention.

The farmer has also reportedly stated that he lost his mental balance in the meeting due to his prolonged illness and acute poverty,which made him excited and misbehave in the meeting.

After seeing the statement recorded by the police,sessions court Judge Samar Roy observed in the order sheet: “Considering the nature of the offence as well as the period of detention of the accused in the jail custody and the progress of the investigation,I am inclined to release him on bail.”