Cooch Behar: The Pundibari police have arrested seven individuals in connection with the alleged attack on the convoy of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, in the Cooch Behar Assembly area. Adhikari has lodged a formal complaint against 41 people, including North Bengal Development minister Udayan Guha and Cooch Behar district Trinamool Congress (TMC) president Abhijit De Bhowmik.
Following the incident, which took place on Tuesday, police promptly arrested seven accused TMC workers: Ranjit Dey, Zahirul Islam, Sukhlal Ravidas, Ashraful Alam, Haridhan Sarkar, Mohammad Habib and Shahidul Islam.
All were produced before the Cooch Behar court on Wednesday. As they entered the courthouse, the accused were seen chanting “Jai Bangla”.
Reacting to the arrests, BJP district secretary Biraj Bose said: “A complaint has been filed against 41 people, yet only seven have been arrested. These arrests are just symbolic. The real culprits must be brought to justice.” Responding to the inclusion of his name in the FIR, minister Udayan Guha stated: “I expected my name and the district president’s to be mentioned. The list includes people who haven’t even visited the Cooch Behar Assembly area in the past seven days. I’ve said before—Suvendu’s mental state is not stable.”
In another development, Cooch Behar District Trinamool leaders, including District president Abhijit De Bhowmik and Chairman Girindra Nath Barman, visited the residence of Binama Barman, Pradhan of Hazrahat-II Gram Panchayat under Mathabhanga Block I. Hazrahat-II Gram Panchayat Pradhan Binama Barman has been summoned by Assam’s Foreigners Tribunal Court in Nalbari to appear by August 27 in a citizenship verification case. The case reportedly relates to Minati Sheel Sharma of Bhangamor, married to an Assam resident, who received an NRC notice in 2015 due to documentation errors. De Bhowmik condemned the move, saying: “The Pradhan will not go to Assam with any documents. This is a political tactic by the Assam government to create fear among border residents.”