Trinamool leader accused of assaulting ECL officials gets bail

A court in West Bengal's Burdwan Friday granted bail to a Trinamool Congress labour leader who was arrested for allegedly threatening and assaulting officials of the Eastern Coalfields Limited.

Chunulal Mishra, a member of the Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress, was arrested Thursday, days after the Coal India subsidiary threatened to stop operations at the J.K. Nagar colliery in Burdwan district if the government failed to take action against the accused.

Charged with bailable offences under the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act, Mishra was granted bail by a court in Asansol.

"Both the sections being bailable, he was granted bail," his counsel said.

Mishra's bail prompted the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress to cry foul against the ruling Trinamool.

"The ruling party is hellbent on turning the administration into a sham. By pressing bailable charges, the prosecution has proved they are working for the ruling party and not the government," state BJP president Rahul Sinha said.

State Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury too criticised the police for bringing watered down charges against Mishra.