Hooghly, 25 May (H.S.): The police in Chinsurah arrested two alleged “musclemen” reportedly close to a former Trinamool Congress MLA in connection with multiple criminal complaints, including assault and intimidation of BJP workers. The arrested accused have been identified as Vijay Kahar and Birendra Sahani alias Lalan.

According to police sources, the duo was arrested over allegations of attacking BJP worker Nimai Dutta in 2017 and allegedly hitting him on the head with a gun butt, causing serious injuries. They are also accused of threatening the same BJP worker before the 2021 and 2026 Assembly elections.

The police said several other allegations against the accused are also being examined, including extortion, intimidation, illegal land grabbing and politically motivated violence in the area. During the last municipal elections, the accused were allegedly involved in assaulting a BJP worker and knocking out one of his teeth.

The two accused were produced before the Chinsurah court on Monday. Investigators are seeking police custody to further probe the allegations and examine their possible involvement in other criminal activities.

While being taken to court, Vijay Kahar claimed that he had been falsely implicated in the case as part of a political conspiracy. He alleged that some of his former associates, who had earlier been with the CPI(M), later joined the Trinamool Congress and eventually switched to the BJP, were behind the conspiracy against him.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey