A day after a row over the Army’s removal of a Trinamool Congress (TMC) protest stage, tensions flared again in Kolkata as police stopped an Army truck that allegedly came dangerously close to Police Commissioner Manoj Verma’s convoy in the high-security BBD Square area on Tuesday morning.
According to police sources, the truck was halted and later seized by Hare Street Police Station officers after it attempted to take a right turn where the maneuver is prohibited. The incident occurred while the Commissioner was en route to the Lalbazar headquarters.
“The truck made a sudden right turn on a no-turn road, narrowly avoiding a collision with the Commissioner’s vehicle,” a traffic police official said. The truck was reportedly traveling from Fort William to a passport office.
An Army jawan inside the vehicle, however, disputed the police account, telling the media that the truck turned at an open signal and that they were unaware of the Commissioner’s convoy behind them. He added that the police accused the truck of “dangerous driving” and that the matter had been reported to Army seniors.
In a statement posted on X, Kolkata Police said:
“It’s apparently clear from CCTV footage that the truck in question was being driven in a dangerous manner violating the traffic lane. The other vehicle narrowly escaped a collision thanks to the alertness of its driver. Legal action is being initiated as per law against the driver of the offending vehicle.”
Police also released CCTV footage showing the Army truck making a sudden right turn as the Commissioner’s vehicle swerved to avoid impact.
The incident comes just a day after controversy erupted over the Army dismantling a TMC protest stage in the city, raising political temperatures further.
