Politics
After MHA Seeks Report From Bengal Government On ‘False’ Cases Against Opposition Leaders, Police Arrest BJP Leader
Former Mayor of Asansol, Jitendra Tiwari, who had switched over from the Trinamool Congress to the BJP in March 2021, was arrested by a state police team.
Days after the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) sought an “immediate” report from the Bengal government on allegations of ‘false and fabricated’ cases being registered against opposition leaders and activists in the state, the Bengal police arrested a senior BJP leader and his wife.
Former Mayor of Asansol, Jitendra Tiwari, who had switched over from the Trinamool Congress to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in March 2021, was arrested by a state police team from Noida Saturday (18 March) afternoon.
Tiwari along with his wife Chaitali — she is a BJP councillor and leader of opposition in the Asansol Municipal Corporation — were named as accused for the deaths of three persons in a stampede at a blanket-distribution programme that they had organised in Asansol in December last year.
The BJP said the arrests were another example of the “politics of revenge” pursued by the Trinamool regime in the state.
“This is not a case that warrants an arrest. The stampede that resulted in the deaths was a very unfortunate incident, but the organisers of the event cannot be arrested for the accident,” said state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar.
The MHA’s letter dated 10 March was addressed to Bengal chief secretary H K Dwivedi based on a complaint by leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari, who had written to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) complaining against “false and fabricated cases” lodged against opposition leaders and workers by the state government.
The PMO had forwarded Adhikari’s letter to the MHA, which sought a response from the Bengal government “immediately”.
Mrutyunjay Tripathy, an under-secretary in the MHA, wrote to the Bengal government: “I am directed to forward herewith a copy of the letter received from the Prime Minister's Office along with a copy of a letter of Suvendu Adhikari, alleging registration of false and fabricated cases against opposition leaders and party workers by the West Bengal government.
“As the issue raised in the petition is concerned with the government of West Bengal, it is requested that the matter may please be looked into appropriately and the report in the matter may please be furnished to this ministry immediately,” the letter said.
It could not be ascertained immediately if the Bengal government has replied to the MHA’s letter.
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