Arrests made in Howrah carnival extortion case after Mamata's strict directive

Following Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's firm stance against the Christmas Carnival in Howrah, two individuals have been apprehended by the Howrah Police Commissionerate. The arrests, identified as Raj Jalan and Akash Dutta, were made on charges of creating a disturbance during the carnival. The incident stemmed from allegations of illegal parking fees, leading to chaos on Wednesday night.

The subsequent assault on Saurabh Dutta, the personal assistant to Howrah Municipal Corporation Chairperson Sujoy Chakraborty, prompted the closure of the carnival for security reasons.Before leaving for Chakla from Dumurjala helipad on Thursday, the Chief Minister expressed his displeasure over the cancellation of the carnival. "I do not support such incidents," she said. That is just not true. Police will take legal action.''

The Chief Minister said she has directed Minister Arup Biswas to hold a meeting with all parties to restart the carnival. After this order, Howrah City Police officials reached the carnival site along with a large number of police forces.

A tense situation unfolded at the Howrah Christmas Carnival when Minister Arup Biswas intervened around 3:30 in the afternoon. The carnival venue witnessed a heated exchange between MLA Manoj Tiwari and the chairperson, escalating to the point where Manoj allegedly pushed the chairperson upon his arrival.

However, Minister Arup Biswas mediated to temporarily resolve the dispute. The Sports Minister announced that the police would investigate the area of the parking lot, which was the source of the initial disturbance. Subsequently, an arrest has been made in connection with this incident.