The Murshidabad district administration did not bother to file an FIR against Farakka MLA Manirul Islam till Friday evening, although the Election Commission had set a deadline of 5pm on Thursday to do so in connection with the vandalism of the Farakka block development office on January 14.
Alleged Trinamool Congress supporters had ransacked the BDO office during a hearing linked to the special intensive revision (SIR) of the voter list.
Senior officials, speaking privately, suggested that the hesitation of the district administration to file the FIR against the Trinamool MLA reflected a deep-seated bureaucratic anxiety. They said officers were wary of possible vindictive action by the Mamata Banerjee government if coercive steps were taken against the MLA.
Emboldened by the lack of action, the MLA on Friday openly challenged the EC once again, asserting that he would not bow to any pressure.
“No matter the number of cases and complaints lodged against me, nothing will deter me. Being an elected representative, it is my duty to stand with people in times of distress. If they have the court, I have it too,” Manirul said while addressing a programme marking the 129th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in Farakka.
On January 14, the Farakka BDO office was vandalised by a mob allegedly led by the Trinamool MLA during protests against what demonstrators described as harassment linked to the SIR process. CCTV footage and videos circulated on social media purportedly showed Manirul leading the mob at multiple locations during the violence.
Although the police had earlier registered a case and arrested six individuals for their alleged involvement in the vandalism, the MLA’s name did not figure in the FIR. Sources said the omission was flagged by officials in the chief electoral officer (CEO)’s office in Bengal, who raised the matter with the state director general of police, Rajeev Kumar.
Six people were eventually arrested based on the CCTV footage. They were granted bail on Wednesday.
Jangipur police district officials declined to offer detailed comments.
“No complaint has been filed with the police against MLA Manirul Islam so far. Nothing can be said more than this,” Jangipur police district chief Amit Kumar Shaw said.
Manirul, who in his speech dared the EC and the administration to take action, however, slightly lowered his tone in a letter to the Jangipur subdivisional officer. In his letter, Manirul sought to justify his conduct and denied any wrongdoing.
“There was no mala fide intent, provocation, or violation of any statutory provision in my speech. Any interpretation to the contrary would be inadvertent and unintended,” the MLA wrote.
He further said: “I respectfully clarify that the remarks made by me during the said public address were neither intended to undermine the authority of the Election Commission nor to influence the electoral process in any improper manner. The statements were made in good faith as a general expression of public opinion on the Special Intensive Revision process.”
The MLA claimed that his objective was to “uphold constitutional values and the rule of law” and that he held the electoral machinery “in the highest regard”.
Sources said that following the January 14 violence, Manirul had largely kept a low profile and was not seen at Trinamool or social events for several days. After a week, he resurfaced publicly on Friday, asserting that he had merely “fought” for the people.
Murshidabad district magistrate and district election officer Nitin Singhania did not respond to repeated calls or text messages seeking an explanation for the failure to register the FIR against the MLA.
Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari criticised what he described as an inexplicably soft approach by the poll body.
“Articles 324 to 329 empower the EC to take strong action. Despite that, a softened stand by the EC is quite surprising. The commission should take action,” Adhikari said, indicating that he would move the Supreme Court if the EC failed to act swiftly on the issue.