Organised to protest against the death of SFI leader Sudipta Gupta, the protesters manhandled the state finance minister outside the Planning Commission in Delhi.

Activists protesting against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Delhi over the death of student leader Sudipta Gupta today today ended up manhandling the state's finance minister Amit Mitra when he stepped out of a government building.

The West Bengal Chief Minister, who was in the national capital to meet with Planning Commission Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, was advised by police not to get down from her car and drive inside. However, she chose to walk through the slogan-shouting and placard-wielding crowd into the building.

As SFI and CPI(M) members chanted "Mamata Banerjee hai hai (Mamata down down), TMC hai hai, Hatyari Mamata sharm karo (have shame, killer Mamata)", an agitated Chief Minister walked into the building shouting that "this is uncivilised behaviour".

"You know why they are protesting. I have 10 lakh people with me. I can bring them to Delhi. They (the protesters) don't want development of West Bengal," she said.

However, Amit Mitra who was walking into Yojana Bhavan was surrounded by protesters carrying banners and shouting slogans.

Even as Mitra attempted to walk away, a group of protesters surrounded him and manhandled him, reportedly even tearing his kurta in the process. Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee and Urban

Development Minister Firhad Hakim also faced the ire of the activists.

Police personnel were finally able to move the protesters away and take the state's finance minister into the government building.

A furious Mamata Banerjee, however, roundly criticised the Delhi police for failing to protect Mitra and also said that she would not attend any other meetings of the Planning Commission in the national capital if they couldn't ensure her security.

"They are beating me they are beating my minister," a livid Banerjee told mediapersons.

She also strongly criticised the Left parties for organising a protest at the Planning Commission headquarters.

"This is the planning commission, this is not a political office, why are all these people here?" Banerjee shouted.

She also complained to Ahluwalia, "You have created a new precedent. My minister was assaulted. This is scandalous. There were 20 hooligans. Can you stop development of a state like this."

Banerjee also claimed that it was this characteristic of the Left parties that had caused voters to vote them out of power in West Bengal.

"They are hooligans...they will never come in Bengal, they will never come in India," she said.