Trinamool Congress member Jayant Singh was the prime suspect in a mob violence incident that transpired on June 30. Mr. Singh, who was finally nabbed by the police today, followed eight arrests made earlier in connection with the case.
Mr. Singh, a strongman in the Ariadaha area of West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas, was brought to the Belgharia Police station. He was charged with attempt to murder, extreme violence, and other non-bailable offenses.
After the arrest, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya said, “The police and the government in Bengal are one and the same now. Hence, police in this State does not have the power to arrest someone who is accused of mob violence.”
He also mentioned that Mr. Singh was only arrested after the police got a nod from the higher-up authorities in the State.
In retaliation, Trinamool leader Shantanu Sen said, “The Mamata Banerjee government does not spare anyone if they have done any wrong, even if they are associated with her party. This has been proved in the incident with Chopra, as well as during Shahjahan Sheikh’s incident. This is quite unlike BJP-led States, where miscreants are never brought to justice.”
Mr. Singh was arrested near the Indian Statistical Institute where he had reportedly gone to meet with an associate. He was suspected of hiding at various friends and family members’ houses for the last four days.
Mr. Singh is known as a history-sheeter. He was previously arrested for shooting incidents in the North 24 Parganas area. He is also known as a close associate of Trinamool MLA Madan Mitra. After pictures of Mr. Mitra and Mr. Singh taking part in mob violence surfaced on social media there was strong criticism from the Opposition.
Commenting on this Communist Part of India (Marxist) leader Sujan Chakraborty said that the Trinamool “survives on such criminals like Shahjahan Sheikh and Jayant Singh”. He also questioned if Mr. Singh was in fact arrested or had instead surrendered at the behest of his party’s leadership.
Published - July 04, 2024 08:47 pm IST
