WB: Ahead Of Panchayat Polls, Hundreds Of Bombs Found In Trinamool Leader Arabul Islam’s Backyard

A large number of crude bombs were found buried deep underneath a mango orchard behind the home of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Arabul Islam, who was on Friday arrested for the alleged murder of kin of an independent candidate in the upcoming panchayat polls, Times of India reported.

According to the report, Islam has been produced before Baruipur sub-divisional magistrate’s court and remanded in police custody till 22 May. The police are now on looking for the TMC leader’s son and brother for their alleged involvement.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ordered Islam’s arrest, reports said, after protest from the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Communist Party of India. However, the opposition and the locals have called the action taken by the police against the leader an "eyewash".

"The Chief Minister, by getting Arabul arrested can now say, she has done her 'rajdharma' but it is all an eyewash. He will be out in no time," NDTV quoted an eyewitness of the incident as saying.

After the filing of nominations for the polls began 2 April, opposition parties had claimed their candidates could not file nomination papers and blamed TMC activists for preventing them using threats and violence.

“The TMC had put a lot of pressure on me to withdraw once my nominations had been accepted. They offered to build me a house, said they would give me money,” said Fatema Bibi, a candidate for Ghazipur gram panchayat polls, adding that two of her sons were picked up by Islam’s men.

“They were beaten and then made to call me at gunpoint. They said I needed to step down immediately,” she told the Indian Express.

According to reports, Mamata Banerjee-led TMC resorted to violence to prevent candidates of opposition parties from filing nominations. In one case, goons of the party assaulted and stripped a photojournalist trying to take pictures of party men preventing opposition candidates from filing nominations.

The Supreme Court, which had stayed the Calcutta High Court's order on electronic filing of nominations, has expressed concern after at least 34 per cent seats were won by the ruling party without a contest.