Action against Bengal cop after TMC worker’s second assault video emerges: Official

KOLKATA: A day after Trinamool Congress worker Tajimul Islam was arrested in North Dinajpur district’s Chopra on charges of caning a man and a woman at a roadside kangaroo court on Sunday, a second video, purportedly showing him torturing another couple, surfaced on Monday, intensifying the political row in West Bengal.

Like in the first video of Sunday’s incident, the second video shot at another kangaroo court held by Islam on June 15 showed him flogging a man and a woman who, too, were accused of an extramarital affair. On Monday, a district court remanded Islam in police custody for five days.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has also sought a report from the chief secretary and state police chief within a week. In a statement on Monday, the commission said it would send a team to Chopra to probe the case, adding that “the matter indicates that the state authorities have not learnt any lessons from such incidents in the past nor the concerns raised by the NHRC.”

Raj Bhavan officials said governor C V Ananda Bose has also sought a report from chief minister Mamata Banerjee and that he may visit Chopra.

Joby Thomas K, superintendent of police, Islampur, who ordered a suo motu probe into Sunday’s incident leading to Islam’s arrest, could not be contacted on Monday. However, a district police official said on condition of anonymity that departmental proceedings have been ordered against Amaresh Singh, the inspector-in-charge of Chopra police station, after the June 15 incident came to light on Monday.

“Many local villagers have alleged that Islam alias JCB terrorised them and called kangaroo courts at random to torture people and extort money,” a police officer said on condition of anonymity.

Bengal BJP leaders attempted to pin down the ruling party after the TMC’s Chopra legislator Hamidul Rahman’s statement on Sunday. “JCB is a party supporter. He is not an office bearer. We do not support what he did. What the married woman did is also not right. She has children. In Islamic states, these things are dealt with in the interest of the society. Here, local villagers held a village court,” the TMC MLA told local news channels.

BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar condemned Hamidul Rahman’s statement, saying “it seems Rahman is running an Islamic state inside our nation”.

TMC Bengal general secretary Kunal Ghosh condemned Tajimul Islam and also the MLA’s statement. “We vehemently condemn these activities. Nobody has given these people the right to judge others?” Ghosh said.