Sujapur still seething

MALDA, Jan. 13: Anger stirred up by the violence following Sujapur's by-elections has not been quelled, despite yesterday's peace meeting, held at the Kaliachak block office.Yesterday, a group of CPI-M workers allegedly threatened Mr Hamidur Rahman, who shook off his previous CPI-M affiliations to support the Congress in a last-minute switch before the Sujapur by-elections. Mr Hamidur Rahman had been close to the late Ms Rubi Noor, the former MLA of Sujapur. Despite their personal connection, in the previous assembly election Mr. Rahman had put himself forward as a CPI-M candidate, against Ms Noor.However, just before this year's by-elections, Mr Rahman changed allegiances to join the Congress working for Rubi Noor's daughter, Miss Mausam Noor. Mr Rahman decided not to lodge any FIR, in an attempt to avoid conflict with the CPI-M goons. In the all-political party peace meeting held in Kaliachak yesterday, the newly elected MLA of Sujapur, Miss Nauman Noor, told police and administrative officials that she had asked her followers and fellow Congress supporters not to disrupt the law and order of the region. Furthermore, she had requested that they refrain from staging a victory rally.“Before the results of the by-poll, I told them not to stage a victory rally, because I was contesting here after the demise of my mother, and I felt the rally would have a disruptive effect. But some of my followers were overcome with emotion after the results, and staged a rally despite my requests,” Miss Noor told the officials.The victory rally, combined with the threats made to Mr Hamidur Rahman, are likely to stir up more tension in the region, Congress supporters said. n SNS