TMC asks Akhil Giri to resign as Bengal minister after his threat to woman govt officer stirs row
Kolkata/IBNS: The Trinamool Congress has ordered West Bengal Minister of Correctional Administration, Akhil Giri, to resign, coming down heavily upon him for giving threats to a woman officer of the state forest department.
The party has also asked Giri to apologise to the forest ranger, Manisha Sahu.
Though Giri, an MLA from Ramnagar, has agreed to resign following the party's order, he is still adamant in not apologising to the government employee.
Giri will reportedly hand over his resignation letter physically to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata on Monday.
In a viral video, Giri- surrounded by locals- was caught calling the officer "discourteous" and "animal" after she and her team tried to clear encroachments on the forest department near Tajpur beach.
Giri was heard telling the officer, "You are a government employee so you should bow your head... You will realise when I will beat you up with sticks... If you do this, your term will be shortened."
Slamming Giri, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Agnimitra Paul posted on X, "MLA Akhil Giri, who previously made racist comments about our esteemed President Smt. Draupadi Murmu and faced no punishment, has now verbally abused and heckled a lady police officer.
"Despite his shameful behavior, I salute the courageous officer for standing her ground and not being intimidated. Concerned for her safety, but immensely proud that there are still brave individuals in our state who uphold the honor of their uniform and know how to defend its dignity."
MLA Akhil Giri, who previously made racist comments about our esteemed President Smt. Draupadi Murmu and faced no punishment, has now verbally abused and heckled a lady police officer. Despite his shameful behavior, I salute the courageous officer for standing her ground and not… pic.twitter.com/fmz7BqLKE2
— Agnimitra Paul BJP (@paulagnimitra1) August 3, 2024
In 2022, Giri faced flak for making a controversial remark on President Droupadi Murmu.
After widespread criticism, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had apologised on Giri's behalf.