Ex-TMC MLA Arabul Islam arrested in murder panchayat poll candidate

Kolkata: Former TMC MLA Arabul Islam was on Thursday arrested in connection with the murder of a panchayat poll candidate last year, police said.

All India Secular Front (AISF) leader Mohiuddin Molla was shot dead in June when he went to the BDO's office in Bhangar to file his nomination for the panchayat polls, they said.

The arrest was made within weeks of the Bhangar area, which has been in the news for violent clashes, being brought under the jurisdiction of the Kolkata Police.

Islam, who won the Bhangar seat in the 2006 assembly polls, was named in the FIR lodged in connection with the murder, police said.

He was taken to the Kolkata Police headquarters Lalbazar for questioning, and was not lodged at the local police station as the matter was "sensitive", they said.

Islam was booked for murder, extortion, vandalism of government property, and carrying out attacks in groups using firearms, they said.

He was arrested in 2013 as well, in connection with the attack on veteran leader Abdur Razzak Molla.

Leader of the opposition Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP alleged that Islam was arrested as part of a plan before the Election Commission could take any action against him ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

"He will be brought out on bail just before the polls. All these are planned. The arrest was made before the EC took any action," he said.

The CPI(M) claimed that Islam was arrested earlier and was expelled from the TMC, but the ruling party took him back.

"It all depends on Didi's wish when people like Arabul will be arrested or released," senior CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty said.

The ruling TMC said that by making the arrest, police did their 'raj dharma'.

"Law will decide whether he is guilty or innocent. But this proves that the opposition's allegation that the police do not take action against anyone in the ruling party is not true," TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said.