Cooch Behar, May 13 -- The arrest of an alleged Trinamool Congress Panchayat member with a firearm created a stir in Cooch Behar district on Tuesday night. The incident took place in the Nelpur Ghat area under the Sahebganj Police Station in Dinhata subdivision.
According to police sources, acting on a tip-off, Sahebganj police conducted a raid in the Nelpur Ghat area on Tuesday night and arrested a man identified as Ranjit Das, a resident of Kismat Das Gram in Dinhata.
Police said the accused was moving around suspiciously when he was intercepted and searched. During the search operation, police allegedly recovered a 7mm country-made pistol along with four rounds of live ammunition from his possession.
A case has been registered against the accused under the relevant sections of the Arms Act. Police have launched an investigation to ascertain the source of the firearm and whether any other individuals are connected to the incident.
The BJP claimed that the arrested individual is a Trinamool Congress Panchayat member. Cooch Behar district BJP secretary Jibesh Biswas alleged that Ranjit Das had threatened BJP leaders on polling day and attempted to influence the election process.
"The accused was also involved in extortion and intimidation, and had threatened BJP workers in various ways ahead of the elections," he claimed.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress Cooch Behar district chairman Girindra Nath Barman said he was not aware of the incident and declined to comment further on the matter.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.