Cooch Behar: Political tension flared in the Sitai Assembly constituency of Cooch Behar district after police arrested a local BJP leader with a large quantity of banned cough syrup.
According to police sources, Sukumar Barman was arrested on Thursday by Sahebganj police from the Shiv Prasad Mustafi area. He was allegedly found in possession of 79 bottles of banned codeine-based cough syrup, often abused as a narcotic. He was produced before the Cooch Behar court on Friday.
Dinhata Sub-Divisional Police Officer Dhiman Mitra confirmed the arrest, stating, “A man named Sukumar Barman was arrested with banned cough syrup and has been produced in court.”
The BJP, however, has alleged a political conspiracy. Shivani Barman, wife of the accused, filed a missing person complaint at Sitai police station on Thursday evening, claiming her husband had left home earlier and was detained by police on the way, after which the family lost contact with him.
BJP district president Abhijit Barman questioned the seizure process, alleging that the police had framed Sukumar under the influence of Trinamool MP Jagadish Chandra Verma Basunia due to fear of electoral defeat.
Responding to this, Trinamool Congress MP Jagadish Chandra Verma Basunia dismissed the claims. “The police are doing their duty. The BJP, which is involved in such activities, is setting an example itself. They are making such statements to remain politically relevant,” he said. The incident has sparked a fresh political face-off in the district as legal proceedings continue.