Lalu Alam, the main accused in injuring West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee – then a Congress leader – in Kolkata’s Hazra almost three decades ago, was acquitted by a court today.
The case was on in Alipore court which has said that Alam, a former Left cadre was being released due to lack of evidence in the form of witnesses. All the others accused in this case are either dead or missing. Those who had been witnesses earlier or were present, are also dead. The court thus decided to put and end to it under article 332 of the Indian Penal Code.
The Congress had called for a bandh on August 16, 1990. Mamata Banerjee — then a Congress leader — was hit on the head when she was part of a group that was out on the streets trying to make the bandh successful. Alam and some others are said to have attacked her at this point and Banerjee was injured on the head and had to be admitted to the hospital.
The case had been on in court since then. The only accused in the case, Lalu Alam, then a Communist Party of India (Marxist) member, is now being acquitted.
