Murshidabad, 19 September (H.S.): Ahead of the Rejinagar Assembly by-election, police have arrested Ashiq Iqbal, state secretary of Humayun Kabir's Amjanata Unnayan Party and the party's candidate from the Berhampore Assembly constituency in the 2026 elections.

According to police, the arrest was made late Friday night during a naka checking operation on the Bhakuri-Amtala State Highway under the jurisdiction of Hariharpara Police Station. Acting on a tip-off, police intercepted a Scorpio vehicle and conducted a search.

Police said two .303-bore pistols, four rounds of ammunition and 108 counterfeit Indian currency notes of Rs 500 denomination were recovered from a bag inside the vehicle.

Two occupants of the vehicle, identified as Bablu Sheikh and Sukhbar Molla alias Ashiq Iqbal, were arrested from the spot in connection with the recovery.

Police claimed that during questioning, the arrested persons stated that two other individuals, Mainul Sheikh and Habibur Rahman alias Bachchu, were also travelling in the vehicle. According to police, the two allegedly fled the area after the vehicle was stopped for checking.

A case has been registered against the arrested persons under Sections 179/180 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 25(1)(a), 29 and 35 of the Arms Act. The accused were produced before the Berhampore court on Saturday, with police seeking seven days' custody.

Local sources said Ashiq, a resident of Kebalrampur in the Rukunpur area under Hariharpara Police Station, is known as a close associate of Humayun Kabir. He was reportedly assigned a special responsibility by the party for campaigning in the Rejinagar Assembly by-election.

Golam Nabi Azad Robin, the Amjanata Unnayan Party's candidate for the Rejinagar by-election and son of Humayun Kabir, confirmed the arrest of the party's state secretary.

“I have heard that police arrested our party's state secretary last night. But we still do not know the reason for the arrest,” Robin said.

The latest arrest comes days after Monayem Biswas, the Amjanata Unnayan Party's Beladanga-I block president, was arrested on Sunday night for allegedly extorting money from the head of Kapasdanga Gram Panchayat under Beladanga Police Station.

With the Rejinagar by-election campaign gaining momentum, Humayun Kabir had earlier alleged that several workers of his party were being arrested by police in Rejinagar, Nowda-Shaktipur and Hariharpara police station areas in what he described as false cases.

He had also alleged that police were identifying people seen in video footage of his party's campaign and subsequently visiting their homes at night to intimidate them.

On Saturday, Rabiul Alam Chowdhury, the Trinamool Congress candidate for the Rejinagar Assembly by-election, also alleged harassment of party workers by the administration. He claimed that pressure from the administration had adversely affected the morale of workers and alleged that they were being told which political party they should work for. He further alleged that some workers were leaving the area fearing administrative action.

Robin also referred to a recent protest staged by his father outside Shaktipur Police Station. He alleged that on that day, at around midnight, a resident of Prasadpur named Akbar Sheikh had offered tea to Humayun Kabir.

“Police arrested him yesterday for this ‘offence’. However, he was later granted bail,” Robin alleged.

Robin further alleged that police harassment of his party's workers in different parts of the Rejinagar Assembly constituency had not stopped. He said the party would continue its election campaign despite the alleged obstacles.

Police have not yet issued a detailed response to the political allegations made by the party leaders.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey