Janata Unnayan Party (JUP) chief Humayun Kabir's son, Golam Nabi Azad, was detained on Sunday (December 28) for allegedly assaulting a policeman posted at their residence in Murshidabad district of West Bengal, police said.
The Trinamool Congress said Azad, popularly known as Sohel, committed a cognisable offence by allegedly raising his hand against the policeman, who was deployed as a personal security officer (PSO) to Bharatpur MLA Humayun Kabir. The party asserted that police action was taken strictly in accordance with the law and that the ruling party had no role in the matter.
PSO Jumma Khan filed a complaint
A senior police officer said Sohel was detained following a complaint filed at Shaktipur police station by Constable Jumma Khan. In his complaint, the constable alleged that the legislator’s son assaulted him earlier in the day when he had sought a few days’ leave.
"On the basis of the complaint, the accused has been detained for questioning. The matter is being investigated, and necessary legal action will be taken," the police officer told news agency PTI.
Kabir, who floated his party after being suspended from the TMC and laid the foundation stone for a Babri Masjid-style mosque in Muslim-majority Murshidabad, claimed that police have cordoned off his residence in Shaktipur area following the incident.
Kabir, who has announced that his party would contest the upcoming assembly elections in the state, was away from his residence for some work when the incident happened.
False allegations against my son: Kabir
Reacting to the incident, Kabir alleged that his son was falsely implicated by the police. "My son objected to the entry of a policeman inside my house today, and this angered the law enforcers, who then levelled false allegations against him, accusing him of misbehaviour," Kabir told reporters in Berhampore.
He claimed that the police action was politically motivated and carried out at the behest of the Trinamool Congress.
Kabir said that law enforcement agencies cannot cordon off the residence of an elected representative on what he described as "flimsy pretexts".
He further announced that he would gherao the Murshidabad superintendent of police's office on January 1 to protest what he termed as harassment. "I will gherao the SP's office in Murshidabad on January 1 in protest against this harassment, which is politically motivated. I demand an explanation from senior police and administration officials about today's incident.
They cannot intimidate me," Kabir said.
Kabir further alleged that his son was detained illegally on false charges and demanded his immediate release.
Kabir laid the foundation stone for a mosque modelled on Babri Masjid on December 6, a day after being suspended from the TMC. Later, he floated the JUP, and announced the new party would contest 182 of the 294 assembly seats in the polls due early next year. He further expressed his desire to form an electoral alliance with Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM.
He also accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of doing nothing for the uplift of Muslims and only pursuing "appeasement politics" since coming to power in 2011.
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