A Trinamool leader wanted in some police cases, including an arms case, was taken away from police by a group of suspected TMC supporters in Chopra of North Dinajpur on Saturday.

The incident happened soon after the police nabbed Majibul Rahaman, a former panchayat member.

Eleven persons, including some women, who allegedly attacked the police to free Rahaman, have been detained so far.

Sources said the police were in search of Rahaman, a former member of the Chutiakhor panchayat of Chopra block.

On Saturday, a team from Chopra police station reached Kalikapur, his village, and nabbed the TMC leader. As they put him inside their vehicle, some villagers, reportedly TMC supporters, gheraoed the vehicle, demanding the police release Rahaman.

When the policemen refused to free him, an altercation ensued. Soon, some people started pelting bricks and stones at the police team.
The cops got outnumbered. Some villagers managed to take Rahaman out of the
vehicle. He fled.

As the news spread, additional police forces led by Suraj Thapa, the inspector-in-charge of the Chopra police station, rushed to the village. Searches were launched to nab Rahaman and the attackers.

“A police team had been to Kalikapur village to arrest Mujibul Rahaman, who is an accused in certain cases. At that time, some villagers resisted the team and helped the accused flee. We have detained some people and are searching for the accused,” said Joby Thomas, the Islampur police district SP.

After the incident, the police raided Rahaman’s house and seized some sharp weapons, bows and arrows, and an improvised firearm.

Sources said Rahaman headed towards Sujali, a neighbouring panchayat area.

“Some residents of Sujali tried to intercept him, but he and his associates fired at the villagers and fled again. Police later went to the spot and recovered four empty cartridges,” said a source.

In January this year, Sajjak Alam, an undertrial, had shot two policemen on NH27 near Panjipara, which is under the same police district, and had fled from a prison van. Later, he was gunned down by the police during a crossfire.

On April 26 last year, a Chopra police team was attacked in Amtala as they went to arrest a person. Two sub-inspectors, two constables and a driver of the police vehicle were injured.

Also, on May 16, 2024, an officer of the land and land reforms department was assaulted by a gang involved in illegal sand mining.

Earlier, in 2021, goons attacked the police on NH12 during a road blockade. Twelve policemen were injured in the attack.

Hamidul Rahaman, the TMC MLA of Chopra stood in support of the accused TMC leader.

“Majibul is innocent. Nothing happened in Kalikapur today (Saturday). The police kept certain sharp weapons and firearms in his house to falsely implicate him,” said the MLA.

However, district TMC leaders distanced them from Majibul.

“We do not support any attack on the police. Policemen were doing their duty when they were attacked and a person escaped. The law will take its course. Our party will never support such people,” said Kanaialal Agarwala, the Trinamool chief of North Dinajpur district.

The BJP trained guns at the Chopra MLA. “Such criminals are getting confidence from Hamidul Rahaman. There is no rule of law in the Islampur police district,” said Surajit Sen, a district vice-president of BJP.