Adhir arrested

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Sept. 7: Berhampur MP Mr Adhir Chowdhury was arrested from outside the Berharmpur Court in Murshidabad today in connection with two “pending cases.” Mr Choudhury surrendered before the Murshidabad chief judicial magistrate court in connection with a twin murder case this morning following an arrest order issued by the Calcutta High Court recently. Though the CJM granted his bail plea, police arrested him in connection with two other cases when he was coming out of the Court. Mr Chowdhury was charged with the murder case of a panchayat chief Gobardhan Ghosh in Burdwan district in 2003 and a looting case in Murshidabad district in 2006. He was acquitted in twin murder case by the lower court earlier. Mr Adhir Choudhury told reporters that the arrest was preplanned and a conspiracy of the CPI-M and its police. The MP said that he could not attend the programme scheduled to be held on 9 September in Murshidabad where external affairs minister Mr Pranab Mukherjee will address the meeting.” Mr Adhir Choudhury was lodged in Berhampur correctional home after the arrest. Murshidabad police produced him again in the CJM Court. The MP would be produced in Katwa Court tomorrow. Owing to the stir by lawyers in the Berhampore Court since yesterday, Mr Choudhury argued himself, for the bail. The court remanded him in jail in connection with the murder of Gobardhan Ghosh, a panchayat pradhan in Burdwan district. Interestingly, as the Berhampore MP came to surrender before the court, the inspector in-charge produced two-arrest warrants against him before the CJM, Mr A Chatterjee and urged him to hand over the MP to the police. The CJM, Mr Chatterjee, criticised the attitude of the police officer and said: “I cannot allow anybody to arrest anyone here. The cases were not before me and I have no information about them. Police may execute their duties outside the court,” he said. A group of lawyers criticised the police for the arrest. The youth Congress supporters staged a demonstration against the arrest.Home secretary Mr Prasad Ray said at Writers’ Buildings that police would take action against those who violated law while protesting against the arrest.