Union minister's convoy gets stoned in Cooch Behar

Kolkata: In West Bengal's Cooch, the crowd attacked Union Minister of State for Home Nisith Pramanik's convoy with stones, and his SUV's windshield got damaged. The minister alleged that Trinamool Congress supporters were behind the attack, NDTV reported.

Pramanik is an MP from Cooch Behar and was on his way to the BJP's local office in the area. When the situation turned problematic, police resorted to firing tear gas shells to control the crowds.

Pramanik said that if a minister is not safe, one could imagine the plight of the common man. The attack describes the state of democracy in Bengal, he said.

Local media reports suggested that there was public anger against the minister over the killing of a tribal in an alleged firing by the Border Security Force (BSF). BSF reports to the Home ministry, and Pramanik is a minister of the Home portfolio.

In a recent rally in Cooch Behar, Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee accused Pramanik of not taking any steps to mitigate the concerns of the tribals after the killing. TMC had also announced that it would stage protests against the ministry, while one of its leaders said that the minister would only see black flags wherever he goes in the region.

There are multiple controversies against minister Pramanik. In November last, a court issued an arrest warrant against him on a burglary case of 2009, and in January, he surrendered before the court on his own after a Calcutta High Court order.

In another instance, there was a debate on his nationality. A Rajya Sabha MP of Congress had written Prime Minister Narendra Modi then demanding a probe into the Pramanik's nationality.