Baharampur TMC councillor arrested on charge of obstructing Cong poll rally in Bengal

A Trinamool TMC councillor was arrested in West Bengals Murshidabad district for allegedly obstructing the election campaign of Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury during the recent Assembly polls, a senior police officer said on Sunday. Bhismadev Karmakar, councillor of Ward 19 in Berhampore municipality and district president of the TMC youth wing, was arrested on Saturday night in Baharampur, police said.

A Trinamool TMC councillor was arrested in West Bengal's Murshidabad district for allegedly obstructing the election campaign of Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury during the recent Assembly polls, a senior police officer said on Sunday. Bhismadev Karmakar, councillor of Ward 19 in Berhampore municipality and district president of the TMC youth wing, was arrested on Saturday night in Baharampur, police said. Karmakar allegedly stopped Chowdhury's campaign on April 4 when his rally reached Ward 19 and raised slogans such as ''Go Back'' and ''Jai Bangla'', leading to clashes between the two sides, officials said. At the time, Karmakar had denied the allegations, claiming Chowdhury had brought in outsiders to create unrest and that locals had spontaneously protested. Police said the arrest was made following specific complaints related to the April 4 incident, and the accused would be produced before a court. The arrest came shortly after the swearing-in of the first BJP government in the state, triggering political reactions, with the TMC alleging selective targeting of its leaders and workers due to political vendetta. Police, however, rejected the charge and said the investigation was being carried out in accordance with law. Chowdhury, a five-time MP from Berhampore, had lost the 2024 Lok Sabha election to Yusuf Pathan and also failed to win in the recent Assembly polls. BJP candidate Subrata Maitra emerged victorious in the high-profile contest in Berhampore by a margin of 17,548 votes. Political observers said the arrest of the TMC leader, based on Chowdhury's earlier complaint, indicated a shift in administrative and policing priorities under the new dispensation in the state.