Bengal: Akhil Giri resigns as minister, says won't apologise to woman official

Kolkata: A day after the Trinamool Congress leadership asked him to step down from the ministry and apologise to a forest department woman official for threatening and verbally abusing her, West Bengal Correctional Services minister Akhil Giri on Monday said he had sent his resignation to the Chief Minister's Office.

The TMC MLA from Ramnagar, however, said that he would not apologise to any official but to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

"I have tendered my resignation through chief secretary to the Chief Minister's Office. But I will not apologise to any official. I may apologise to the chief minister," Giril told reporters while coming out of the MLA hostel in the southern part of the city.

"I lost my cool that day seeing people's sufferings and how the forest department people were torturing them. I am sorry for using one particular word, but not for whatever else I said. Whatever I have done is for the cause of the people," Giri said.

The Ramnagar MLA further alleged that small-time businessmen had paid forest department officials bribe to start shops on department land near the Tajpur sea beach in Purba Medinipur district.

Giri, who has been with the TMC since it was founded in 1998, said he would write in detail to the CM regarding the events that led to his losing cool.

Asked about his plans on whether he would join the BJP, Giri said, "What would I be doing? My term is till 2026, I will be working as an MLA as per the requirement of my party.

On Sunday, Giri, flanked by locals was seen in videos threatening forest ranger Manisha Sahu, warning her of reducing her tenure after she and her team removed encroachments on forest department land near Tajpur beach.