KOLKATA: A Trinamool Congress leader was arrested in connection to a post-poll incident at Kaliganj in Nadia district in West Bengal where a Class IV student Tamanna Khatun was killed in a bomb explosion allegedly hurled by Trinamool Congress-backed miscreants on June 23. The incident did happen just before Trinamool Congress candidate Alifa Ahmed secured her victory in the Kaliganj Assembly bypoll.
The main accused, Gawal Sheikh, and his son Bimal Sheikh were arrested by police from Katwa in East Burdwan district in West Bengal on Friday night. With this, the total number of arrests in the Kaliganj incident has reached nine.
Gawal is the Trinamool booth president in Kaliganj. The FIR filed by the family after Tamanna's death had mentioned both Gawal and his son. Krishnanagar Police District Superintendent Amarnath Ke said, “Gawal Sheikh is the main accused in the Kaliganj bombing. He has been arrested. Along with him, one more person has been arrested. The search operation is going on continuously. All the accused will be arrested soon.”
Regarding the arrest of the booth president, Trinamool's Krishnanagar organisational district chairman Rukbanur Rahman said, “There is no party for miscreants. There is no need to see who is a supporter of which party. The police should take appropriate steps to ensure exemplary punishment for whoever involved in the gruesome incident. We are making that demand as a party.”
However, the BJP has retaliated against the ruling party. Krishnanagar Nadia North BJP President Arjun Biswas said, “The police do not have the power to reach the roots of the Mastan Bahini (gang of goons) who have terrorized the entire area for so long and who are used by the Trinamool for votes.”
Local CPM leader SM Sadi said, “The police knew everything in advance. They were the ones who gave the miscreants ‘safe passage’. The police are arresting a few people out of fear. These dramas will not continue. Every Trinamool-affiliated miscreant in the area must be arrested.”
