Ambulance stopped to allow Mamata Banerjee's convoy; police deny

KOLKATA: An ambulance carrying a heart patient was allegedly stopped to make way for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's convoy, even as police denied any such incident on Kona Expressway in Howrah district.

Trinamool Congress said Banerjee flew into the city in a helicopter from the seaside town of Digha and her convoy did not cross the area.

However, patient's family member Meherjan Begum alleged that the police had stopped their ambulance on Kona Expressway for half-an-hour to make way for the chief minister's convoy.

He also claimed that the family members had to plead with the senior police officers present there to allow the passage of the ambulance.

A top police officer in Howrah told PTI, "Going by the CCTV footages, we have found that five ambulances have passed through that stretch during that period and the particular ambulance was never stopped at any point as alleged by the patient's family.

"Our priority is to let ambulances pass because it is a matter of life and death. Such allegations are hurting," he said.

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress national spokesperson Derek O'Brien in a statement said, "On Dec 23, Mamata Banerjee flew by helicopter from Digha to Kolkata.

No CM's convoy was passing by. The traffic interruption, and the inconvenience shown to citizens in Howra was absolutely unnecessary," he said.

"Mamata Banerjee travels with minimal fuss and frills, without the usual cavalcade of VIPs. She is the last person to disrupt traffic," the statement added.