Police in Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar arrested two Trinamool Congress leaders over the past 24 hours for their involvement in illegal activities.
One leader was arrested for trying to extort money from people while promising them entry in the BJP and in the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), and the other for carrying illegal firearms.
Tapan Majumdar, from the Saptibari-I panchayat of Mainaguri, was arrested on Tuesday following allegations of extortion and misuse of the names of Hindu organisations.
Majumdar had served as a member of the Mainaguri panchayat samiti from 2018 to 2023 after winning on a Trinamool ticket.
A police source said he introduced himself as a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
“He was trying to collect money from people by promising them government jobs and enrollment in the VHP,” said an officer.
Majumdar asked people to pay between ₹20,000 and ₹30,000.
After receiving complaints, members of the VHP conducted an inquiry and filed a complaint at the Maynaguri police station.
Shubhankar Dutta, an advocate representing the VHP, said the accused was produced in a Jalpaiguri court and sent to judicial custody for 20 days.
Residents said Majumdar, an active member of Trinamool, claimed he had joined the BJP ahead of the Assembly elections. .
Rahul Barua, the Jalpaiguri district secretary of VHP, said: “We do not tolerate such collection of money in the name of our organisation. He was attempting to tarnish our image.”
Majumdar claimed that he was a BJP worker and that he was being framed.
Chanchal Sarkar, a district vice-president of the BJP, said they have no idea when Majumdar joined the party.
Shibshankar Dutta, a Trinamool leader in Mainaguri, however, said: “He (Majumdar) had left the party and joined the BJP ahead of the polls.”
Ranjit Das, a resident of Kismat-Dasgram in Cooch Behar and a Trinamool member of the local panchayat, was arrested on Tuesday with a 7mm pistol and four rounds of live ammunition.
The BJP and other parties alleged that Das had exercised influence in the area for a long time and used to intimidate their workers, supporters, and voters during elections.
Trinamool leaders refused to comment on the issue.