Rejinagar: Aam Janata Unnayan Party chief and MLA Humayun Kabir was arrested by police on Tuesday following a heated argument with police personnel at his party office in West Bengal’s Rejinagar, where polling was underway for a by-election.
The arrest was made hours after he accused the security personnel of intimidating voters and urged people to resist alleged police excesses with ‘mugurs’ (heavy wooden clubs).
“Kabir was initially detained and later arrested on allegations of attempting to influence voters and incite them,” an officer said.
Kabir, who had gone to cast his vote with his family members earlier in the day, had been criticising the police over the deployment of security personnel near his residence and at polling booths, alleging that the force was “acting at the behest of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari”.
The AJUP chief alleged that Adhikari had “released Alsatians at every booth”, likening the police deployment to dogs being let loose.
Urging locals to resist alleged police excesses, he asked them to stand up with ‘mugurs’.
“Will the police attack me and I let them go?” the AJUP said, alleging that the force was attempting to deprive people of their voting rights.
Kabir also referred to the arrest of 64 of his supporters, claiming that the action had failed to silence his party.
The situation escalated when a police team arrived at the AJUP office. Kabir repeatedly accused the personnel of “dalali” (partisanship), triggering a heated argument that turned into a scuffle.
Police personnel pulled him by his shirt and escorted him into a vehicle before taking him to the police station.
Murshidabad Superintendent of Police Sachin Makkar said Kabir was neither a candidate in the bypoll nor an authorised election agent, and therefore, he could not move around in the manner he had been doing.
He said the police action was taken on that basis.
The episode has brought the political stakes in Rejinagar into sharper focus, with Kabir’s personal influence and his party’s electoral prospects closely intertwined.
The seat fell vacant after Kabir won both Rejinagar and Nowda in the 2026 Assembly election and subsequently retained Nowda, necessitating the bypoll.
His son, Golam Nabi Azad, is contesting from Rejinagar on the AJUP ticket, turning the election into a test of whether Kabir can translate his personal following into electoral support for his party and family.
The contest is multi-cornered. The BJP has fielded Sakharav Sarkar, a former Murshidabad district president, while the TMC has nominated Rabiul Alam Chowdhury.
A rival TMC faction has fielded Safiuzzaman Sheikh, the Congress candidate is Mohammad Abdullahil Kafi, and the CPI(M) has nominated Syed Asad Ali.
The multiplicity of candidates has made the minority vote a key factor in the constituency, where parties are competing for political space amid shifting local loyalties.
Polling was also underway in Nandigram, the other constituency going to the bypoll on Tuesday.
The two contests are being closely watched for indications of the state’s evolving political landscape following the change of government.
For Kabir, the day’s developments shifted attention from his son’s electoral battle to his own confrontation with the administration, adding a fresh flashpoint to an already charged bypoll.
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
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