Jalpaiguri police arrested five persons in the past two days for their alleged role in attacking BJP legislators Khagen Murmu and Sankar Ghosh while the duo were on their way to flood-affected areas on Monday.
The BJP had blamed the Trinamool Congress for orchestrating the attack on MP Murmu and MLA Ghosh at Nagrakata.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had surprised all by visiting Murmu at a Siliguri hospital on Tuesday.
Of the five arrested persons, four were remanded in police custody for three days. The fifth one will be produced in court on Friday.
However, BJP leaders have expressed dissatisfaction with the police’s “belated” action, claiming it came only after pressure from the Centre and widespread anger among adivasis and the public.
Khandwahale Umesh Ganpath, superintendent of police, Jalpaiguri, said Etwa Oraon 40, Govind Sharma 42, Akramul Hoque, 39, Sahanur Alam alias Mannan 30, and Tofayel Hossain alias Milan, 36 — all living under the jurisdiction of the Nagrakata police station — were arrested in the past 48 hours.
“All, except Oraon, have been remanded in police custody for three days. Oraon, who was arrested this afternoon, will be produced in the court on Friday,” the SP said, adding that raids were underway to nab the other accused.
Following the incident, Tanmay Narjinari, president of the BJP’s Nagrakata unit, lodged a written complaint naming seven persons and several others allegedly involved in the attack.
Bapi Goswami, a BJP state committee member and former Jalpaiguri district president, has filed a petition in Calcutta High Court seeking a probe by the CBI or the NIA into the incident.
“We have lost faith in the state police. They have failed to arrest the main culprits so far. Hence, we have sought judicial intervention for a probe by central agencies,” Goswami told The Telegraph over the phone from Calcutta.
Pratap Singha, the president of the BJP’s Malda North (organisation) district committee, said: “The police acted only after Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concern over the attack on a tribal MP and a sitting MLA. The resentment among tribal communities and the general public forced the police to finally act.”
Murmu, a tribal leader, was elected BJP MP from Maldaha Uttar in 2019 and 2024. Earlier, he had been elected MLA from Habibpur as a CPM candidate in 2006, 2011, and 2016.
In Malda district, the Old Malda, Habibpur and Gazole assembly segments have a significant population of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe voters.
