Sejejul Haque Shah, 45, a prominent Trinamool Congress leader from Nadia and deputy chief of Karimpur-II panchayat samity, was arrested on Monday for allegedly firing at a police constable deputed for his security.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Monday at Shah's Thanarpara residence in Narayanpur allegedly after a drunken brawl.

The bullet missed its target and hit a wall, leaving constable Jahangir Alam, attached to the Thanarpara police station, unharmed. The constable took shelter in a room with the help of family members and called the police.

Shah, popularly known as Mithu, was arrested from the spot.

Once a dreaded Maoist "commander", who joined the Trinamool Congress a few years after it came to power, Shah has long been a controversial figure. During a search of his home on Monday, police recovered three improvised illegal firearms and eight rounds of live ammunition. He was produced before the ACJM court in Tehatta, which remanded him in police custody for 10 days.

He was charged with an attempt to murder, obstructing a public servant, using criminal force against a public servant and illegal possession of firearms.

Krishnanagar superintendent of police Amarnath K. said: “We have arrested the leader who fired at a constable deputed to provide him security. We have begun a case of an attempt to murder and are trying to find out the source of the firearms he possessed.”

The SP added that Shah was provided personal security in 2022 due to threats to his life, particularly after a prominent TMC leader from Narayanpur was killed. Party insiders said Shah, often accused of aggressive behaviour, had earlier assaulted security staff.

Shah was a close aide of the recently deceased Trinamool MLA Tapash Saha of Tehatta.

On Monday, Shah's wife Manowara, also a Trinamool leader and pradhan of Narayanpur II gram panchayat, said: “After the death of MLA Tapash Saha, my husband lost his mental balance due to the shock. Monday’s incident is an outcome of that.”

Close aides of the leader confirmed that after returning home from a condolence meeting in Saha's memory on Sunday night, he consumed a lot of alcohol and lost control.

However, police sources dismissed the wife's claim and alleged that Shah had a history of misbehaving with the constable, with Sunday night being no exception.

“Before going to bed, he misbehaved with the constable and threatened him. On Monday morning, when the constable resumed duty, Shah abused him and then fired at him,” said a police officer.

SP Amarnath K. said: “The accused leader was in a drunken state and hurled abusive words targeting the security staff.”

However, Shah denied all charges. While being taken to court, he told reporters: “I did not fire at the constable at all. I am being framed by the police because I raised my voice against the illegal removal of earth from the Jalangi river basin with the help of a section of the police of Thanarpara police station."

"There were no firearms. I am being framed,” he claimed.

According to local sources, Shah had allegedly attacked another bodyguard in a similar manner around six months ago.

While the Nadia TMC district leadership remained silent, local Trinamool MLA Bimal Sinharoy said: “I have no knowledge of what exactly happened.”

BJP Nadia north president Arjun Biswas said: “The lawlessness in the state can amply be understood from this incident as a Trinamool leader had no hesitation to open fire at a police constable.”