Calcutta, Aug. 8 :    Calcutta, Aug. 8:  The brazen kidnapping of shoe magnate Parthapratim Roy Burman was nightmare enough. But now, traders and businessmen of Tiljala and Topsia have been brought to their knees by local toughs and CPM cadre, who want them to bolster their ranks in launching a 'massive protest' against the arrest of Mohammed Taslim, alias Chunnu, in connection with the abduction case. Variously dubbed controversial businessman, CPM activist, social worker and crook, Chunnu was arrested last week on charges of acting as a 'facilitator' in the Roy Burman kidnap. Ever since then, supporters of Chunnu, under the banner of Topsia United Citizens' Forum and Anjuman Hidayatul Islam, have set out on a one-point agenda - secure his release by any means. First, it was storming the Alipore court premises on the day he was produced. This was followed by protest marches and bandhs in the area. Finally, the outfits have worked out a two-pronged strategy: Paste the walls in the locality with posters proclaiming Chunnu's innocence and mount a massive signature campaign to get him out of custody. This is where the local businessmen have begun to feel the pinch. Whether they like it or not and whether or not they agree, they are being browbeaten into signing the memorandum to give it a veneer of people's movement. The memorandum, which already has about 5,000 signatures appended to it, says: 'Well-known social worker Mohammed Taslim (Chunnu), who was arrested in connection with the abduction of the Khadim's owner, will have to be released unconditionally.' Packing in more power into their campaign, the posters dub the arrest as 'a conspiracy by the police'. 'We are unnecessarily being dragged into this by Chunnu's people and we should be spared this harassment,' pleaded a businessman. 'On Tuesday, two of Chunnu's associates, Khokon and Khurshid, came to my office and threatened that unless I sign the memorandum, I will be forced to move out of the area. So, what choice did I have?' An official explained that the outfits have been infiltrated by some criminal elements, who are bent on building up tension in the area to mount pressure for Chunnu's release. 'We have been keeping tabs on this pro-Chunnu campaign and have found out how some unsavoury elements have joined up and are now orchestrating the movement,' he said. Even the local CPM unit has joined the campaign, flouting the party's whip in this respect. Last Sunday, most local party leaders actively participated in a meeting of Chunnu's supporters, calling for the controversial businessman's release. This forced the party to showcause three members of the CPM's Tiljala-Tospia II local committee - Nabi Ahmed, Probir Dey and Falguni Guha. 'The CID has taken a bold step in arresting Chunnu,' an officer said. 'He is a very powerful man in the area and has the full support of the local CPM, who feel they need him to win elections. But the police must have been sure of their reasons for arresting him, for they were aware of the consequences of such an action.' However, the Anjuman Hidayatul Islam denies charges of using 'strong-arm tactics' to get signatures for the campaign. 'We have placed the memorandum on a table in front of our office in Sapgachi 1st Lane and only those who have faith in the innocence of Chunnu are voluntarily signing it,' said Mohammed Jahangir, an executive committee member. The Topsia United Citizens' Forum, too, says the charge of criminals taking over the movement is 'ridiculous'.