Kolkata, May 29 (). The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has taken over the probe into the attack on Trinamool Congress National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee’s convoy on the evening of May 26 and arrested one more Kurmi leader in this connection.
State police sources said the latest arrest in the case was that of Nishikant Mahto, one of the prominent faces of the Kurmi movement in the state. There is a demand for Scheduled Tribe status for the people of the Kurmi community.
Police sources said that Nishikant is the right-hand man of Kurmi leader Rajesh Mahato.
Rajesh Mahto, who is also a teacher in a government school in West Bengal, was transferred away soon after the attack on Banerjee’s convoy and was later arrested. Now with the arrest of Nishikant, political observers feel, the Kurmi issue is going to take a more serious turn in the days to come, as Kurmi leaders have already threatened a major agitation on the issue.
Meanwhile, the BJP leadership in West Bengal has extended full support to the Kurmi leaders on this issue. BJP’s national vice-president and party’s Lok Sabha member Dilip Ghosh said, if the state government feels that they can play with the sentiments of the Kurmi community, tribal-dominated areas in West Bengal’s Jangalmahal area will be set on fire.
On the other hand, Shubhendu Adhikari, Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, has declared that he is ready to provide full legal assistance to the Kurmi leaders on this issue.
Rajesh Mahato’s transfer and then his arrest was done with the intention of vendetta politics, the official said. Our full support is behind them.
The order issued at midnight and that too during the summer vacation of schools, is a clear indication of how vindictive the present state government is, the official said.
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