Umar Khalid arrest: All proceedings must be as per law, none should be victimised, says Mamata Banerjee

In a cautious statement, Banerjee said, "We all know what had happened in Delhi (during the riots). People, who had led the anti-CAA movement, were attacked also. No one should be unlawfully penalised. If someone is guilty, then evidence must be taken. Everything should take place as per law."

Refraining from using too strong words against her arch-rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the CM said, "We have seen how Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M leader) was named in the FIR and later was removed. The same case was with Yogendra Yadav. We would have known the culprits of Delhi riots by now had there been no Covid."

Khalid has been arrested by the Delhi Police's special cell in connection with a case related to northeast Delhi riots that broke out in February this year.

Banerjee on Monday posed complete faith in the BJP-led central government over a report which claimed a huge number of Indian politicians including the West Bengal CM were snooped by China.

"I won't comment on this as I don't have knowledge of it. We trust the government in matters of External Affairs so won't pass any personal comment," said the CM in carefully-chosen words.

At least 1,350 Indian politicians from across 36 states and union territories were snooped by the Overseas Key Information Database (OKIDB), which has been developed by the Shenzhen information technology firm with links to the Chinese government and the Communist Party, reported The Indian Express.

More than a month ahead of Durga Puja, Banerjee on Monday announced Rs. 1,000 per month as stipend for 8,000 priests in the state.

Courting a row in 2012, a year after Banerjee became the CM for the first time, the West Bengal government had announced an allowance of Rs. 2,500 for each Imam and Muezzin only to get rejected by the Calcutta High Court later as "unconstitutional".

Earlier in the day, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Monday appointed its veteran leader Dinesh Trivedi as the chairman of its West Bengal unit's Hindi cell.

The cell will have three tier-structure, with a State Level Central Coordination Committee, a District Level Committee and Block Level Committee.

Interestingly, the rejig in the Hindi Cell was brought on the occasion of Hindi Diwas.

"The Hindi Cell would actively strive towards strengthening Hindi Education, Culture and overall welfare of the community in Bengal. We believe the work that began in 2011, will only get greater impetus through this reconstituted Hindi Cell," the party said in a statement.

If not delayed by the Novel Coronavirus pandemic, West Bengal will head to the assembly polls sometime between April and May in 2021.

While Mamata Banerjee-led TMC is eyeing a third straight term, the BJP, which had a meteoric rise in the West Bengal politics last year, is eyeing to unseat the incumbent.