BJP candidate held in connection to an old case

Cooch Behar: On Wednesday night, the police of Sahibganj PS arrested Taranikanta Barman, the BJP Zilla Parishad candidate of Dinhata, in connection with an old case. He was taken to Dinhata court on Thursday, where he was ordered jail custody for 14 days.

The arrest is related to a complaint filed by a woman named Pratima Roy in 2018, accusing Barman and nine others of assaulting her husband with a sharp weapon and stealing Rs 50,000 after damaging their car near Salmara market. Barman had applied for bail in the Calcutta High Court.

The court had ordered him to appear within 14 days.

As he failed to comply, he was arrested by the police on Wednesday. For security reasons, he was brought to the Cooch Behar Kotwali PS instead of being kept at Dinhata PS.

BJP district president Sukumar claimed that Barman’s arrest was politically motivated.

TMC leader Udayan Guha dismissed BJP’s accusations, stating that the case was an old one and unrelated to the current elections. He criticised the BJP for attempting to politicise the matter, suggesting that their claims were a reflection of their inability to win the elections.