Bengal bypolls: Humayun Kabir arrested after threatening police in Rejinagar, grabs cop by collar

Kolkata, Oct 6 (IANS) Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) founder and MLA Humayun Kabir on Tuesday was arrested after he threatened police and Central forces, accusing the ruling BJP and the state police of resorting to polling malpractice as voting in the Rejinagar Assembly Constituency in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district was underway.

He repeatedly got into altercations and scuffles with police personnel deployed for security, following which he was arrested and taken to Rejinagar Police Station. Kabir was also seen holding a sub-inspector of West Bengal Police by his collar.

Kabir’s son, Golam Nabi Azad, is the AJUP candidate from Rejinagar this time.

In the West Bengal Assembly polls earlier this year, Kabir won both the Naoda and Rejinagar Assembly seats in Murshidabad district. Later, he chose to retain Naoda, thus necessitating a bypoll for Rejinagar.

Kabir, who is also a voter in Rejinagar, arrived at the polling booth in the morning, accompanied by his family members, to cast his vote. After coming out of the polling station, he talked to the media persons, and then he issued a threat to enter into a confrontation with the state police and Central forces.

“The police personnel have surrounded my house since this morning. If the police come to beat us, will they let them go? We will confront them with cudgels,” said Kabir.

Speaking on the occasion, he also alleged that the voters from Rejinagar, especially those from the minority community, were being harassed by the district police administration since the day the dates for the bypoll were announced.

“Houses of common voters have been vandalised and looted. Even, there have been attempts to rob the women voters of their dignity. Today, it seems that Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has unleashed his Alsatian dogs in all the polling booths at Rejinagar. We will not allow the ruling party to snatch the voting rights of the common people by using the police. So, I am asking the people of Rejinagar to confront the police with cudgels,” Kabir said.

A tough contest is expected in Rejinagar, where over 65 per cent of the voters are from the minority community. Rejinagar is witnessing a six-cornered contest this time involving BJP, AJUP, Congress, Mamata All India Trinamool Congress, Democratic Trinamool Congress, CPI(M) and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP).

The total number of candidates in Rejinagar is 14. A total of 34 companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have been deployed at Rejinagar.

–IANS

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