Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
The Trinamool Congress (TMC), already battling an unprecedented internal revolt, faced a police crackdown on Friday after two of its leaders were arrested in separate cases, while a councillor, facing an extortion case, was on the run. Not only that, BJP supporters threw eggs at former TMC vice-president Jay Prakash Majumdar following his arrest in a property grab case.
Former TMC MLA Saokat Molla was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the Bhangar blast case after an extensive search operation. Molla, a former legislator from Canning Purba, had been declared absconding by the agency earlier in the day. According to sources, NIA teams raided Molla’s residence, but he allegedly fled on a motorcycle before officers arrived.
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Investigators suspected he was attempting to evade arrest and flee to Bangladesh. He tracked his movements through surveillance before catching him near Kolkata. Sources said Molla had also been consulting lawyers regarding the possibility of surrendering before a court.
The case relates to a crude bomb explosion at Dakshin Bamunia village in South 24 Parganas district on March 19, in which one person was killed and three others were critically injured, while bombs were allegedly being manufactured.
Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) councillor Susanta Kumar Ghosh remains at large after evading a police raid in Odisha’s Puri district. Ghosh, the councillor from Ward 108, is wanted by Kolkata Police in an extortion case.
Acting on intelligence inputs that he was attempting to flee, police raided a location in Puri on June 4, but Ghosh allegedly managed to escape along with his associates before officers arrived. His vehicle was later intercepted in Belda, where police detained and subsequently arrested his driver, Sujit Kumar Chowdhury, after questioning him.
Police said efforts are continuing to trace the missing councillor.
Earlier on Wednesday, Jay Prakash Majumdar was arrested in connection with allegations of harassing a woman and illegally occupying her house since 2015. Police said he had initially entered the property as a tenant more than a decade ago but later stopped paying rent and continued to occupy the premises, according to reports.
After his arrest, Majumdar was taken by police to the disputed property, where BJP supporters allegedly threw eggs at him and shouted slogans.
TRINAMOOL HIT BY INTERNAL REVOLT
The arrests and investigations have added to the challenges facing the Mamata Banerjee-led party, which is grappling with its most serious internal crisis since its formation in 1998, following its stunning defeat in the West Bengal Assembly polls.
The revolt escalated after 60 of 80 TMC legislators openly rebelled against the party leadership and backed expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee as the leader of their faction. The Assembly Speaker then appointed Ritabrata as the Leader of Opposition. The revolt has triggered questions over the party’s unity, with speculation also mounting over possible divisions within its parliamentary wing.
While asserting that his faction would continue to recognise Mamata Banerjee as the TMC’s supreme leader, Ritabrata has made it clear that it does not accept her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, widely regarded as the party’s second-in-command, in a leadership role.
The controversy over the Leader of Opposition’s post stems from allegations that the signatures of Ritabrata and fellow MLA Sandipan Saha were forged on documents submitted to the Assembly proposing Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay for the position. The proposal ultimately failed to secure recognition, exposing deepening divisions within the party. Both Ritabrata and Saha were expelled from the party and denied claims that they forged their signatures.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
