Kolkata, June 16 (IANS) The Diamond Harbour Police in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district on Tuesday arrested Maidul Islam, a prominent leader of Trinamool Congress’ teachers’ cell and a close confidant of the party’s general secretary and Lok Sabha member, Abhishek Banerjee.

Diamond Harbour is Abhishek Banerjee’s Lok Sabha constituency.

Maidul Islam was initially detained by the cops early this morning for interrogation, and later was shown as arrested by the Diamond Harbour Police.

The arrested person was earlier an activist of the CPI(M). Later, he joined the Trinamool Congress, and within a short period reportedly became a close confidant of Abhishek Banerjee.

In fact, when Banerjee turned up at the Enforcement Directorate’s Salt Lake office in the northern outskirts of Kolkata on Monday to face a marathon interrogation in connection with the multi-crore cash-for-school-job case, Maidul Islam accompanied him till the entrance of the ED office.

This morning, the police first detained him from his residence in the Netra area under the ​​Diamond Harbour police station and later showed him as arrested.

He has been arrested in connection with the mysterious death of an influential member of the local panchayat in 2022, sources aware of the development said.

To recall, in 2022, the deputy head of Bolsiddhi Kalinagar village panchayat in South 24 Parganas district, Debabrata Bhattacharya a.k.a. Nimai, died under mysterious circumstances. Sources said that Maidul Islam was arrested in connection with the ongoing investigation into the unnatural death of Bhattacharya.

A suicide note was found during the investigation in the matter, and in that suicide note Maidul’s name was mentioned. “We are trying to unravel the mystery of the death by interrogating Maidul,” said a member of the investigating team.

The arrested Trinamool Congress leader will be presented at the district court in South 24 Parganas district later in the day, and the public prosecutor will seek his police custody in the matter.

Before being first detained and then arrested by the police, Maidul Islam, on Monday, also made a social media post claiming that he is being hounded by the Special Task Force and might be arrested anytime.

However, he also claimed on social media that he would always be with Abhishek Banerjee and former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

–IANS

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