WB Govt Officer Held for Rash Driving in New Town

Kolkata: A suspended West Bengal Civil Service officer, Prashanta Burman, was arrested by the police in New Town late on Monday night after he was caught by angry locals driving in a drunken state and hitting a pedestrian to leave him injured.

Mr Burman, who was the Rajganj block development officer (BDO) in Jalpaiguri in his last assignment, went into hiding after the Supreme Court ordered him in January this year to surrender at a lower court while upholding a Calcutta High Court order in a case of murder he is wanted as an accused.

Mr Burman was at the driver's seat of his black SUV, a Mahindra Thar, when some local residents blocked his way for allegedly dashing a man who fell on another passing by in his two-wheeler. The incident took place near a mall in Action Area I.

Mr Burman came out of his vehicle in an inebriated state and confronted the irate people including the motorcyclist. The video went viral on social media after midnight. Cops of the Eco Park police station rushed to the spot and detained him.

They later took Mr Burman to the police station but he allegedly misbehaved with them too during questioning. Early Tuesday, the police arrested the BDO in a case on rash driving charges.

The accused however received bail from the Barasat Court in North 24 Parganas following his production by the police later. He was earlier booked in the murder of a gold merchant Swapan Kamilya at Duttabad in Salt Lake in October last year.