Former CPM member held

Statesman News Service

MALDA, May 6: The CPI-M party member and elected member of Malda Zilla Parishad Abdur Rouf was arrested last night in connection with two pending cases of rioting and attempt to murder, police said. The arrest of Rouf, who was a former CPI-M district committee member and contesting candidate from the Sujapur Assembly segment, prior to the polls, has created a sensation in the political circle of the district.The CPI-M strong man of Kaliachak police station area became frustrated when he was dropped from the district committee this year and denied a ticket because of anti-party activities. He came to the limelight as husband of former sabhadhipati of Malda Zilla Parishad Mrs Sefali Khatun when the CPI-M was in power. He was produced in Court today and has been sent to custody for 14 days. “He was arrested in connection with two pending cases of rioting and attempt to murder. We are conducting a raid to nab wanted criminals following instructions from the state election commission for ensuing polls”, Mr Satyajit Bandyopadhyay, the Malda SP said. “We have arrested more than 100 wanted criminals in last few weeks, he is one of them,” he said. He was charged with several cases and many of them were disposed except two cases, police said. Police were trying to nab a notorious criminal Bakul in connection with a murder case, who was sheltered by the CPI-M leader, but failed. Yesterday, there was clash between two groups in Kaliachak area and police suspected that Rouf was the mastermind behind the clash. The Malda CPI-M district leaders were in trouble due to this “Frankenstein” character in the last two years and failed to control Rouf, who exploited the party to keep his own interests. Sources said that the present CPI-M leaders suspected that he would be harmful to the party’s contesting candidates in Kaliachak area before panchayat polls. It was learnt that the CPI-M could not field its candidates in a particular gram panchayat where he used to live. Lastly he had to leave his own village Naoda Jadupur under Kaliachak police station following attacks from his rivals who are presently with the Congress. In 2001, two Bangladeshi youths were arrested on charges of intrusion and having links with ISI during the tenure of the then Malda SP Mr Debasis Roy. In their statement to the Court, they had confessed that they were directed to contact Abdul Rouf.Mr Jiban Maitra, CPI-M party secretary said, “Law has taken its own course, we have nothing to say.” Regarding the impact of Rouf’s arrest on the poll he said: “I don’t think this arrest will affect our prospects in the polls in anyway”.