Kolkata, September 24, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) chairman and Nowda MLA Humayun Kabir on Thursday staged a sit-in outside the Rejinagar police station in Murshidabad, alleging that police were arresting his party leaders and workers to prevent them from campaigning for the October 6 by-election.
Kabir arrived at the police station carrying a chair and sat outside its main gate. He alleged that workers of other parties were being allowed to campaign while AJUP workers were being asked to leave.
Kabir accused the police of acting in favour of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and demanded the removal of officials at Rejinagar police station. He warned that if the situation continued, he would stage another sit-in on the day of the by-election.
He said he would remain outside the police station until 8 a.m. on Friday, accompanied by a woman party leader. Kabir had staged a similar protest outside Shaktipur police station on September 13.
The AJUP chairman alleged that several of his party leaders had been arrested ahead of the by-election. Among those named by him were Manjur Rahman alias Lebu, Haque Mallick and Abdul Alim, who were arrested in Rejinagar and Shaktipur between Saturday night and Sunday morning. Mohammad Nasim Sheikh was also arrested from Miyagram in Shaktipur, according to Kabir.
Manjur Rahman’s wife is a member of the Beldanga-2 Panchayat Samiti, while Haque Mallick is the AJUP’s Rejinagar Block Vice President and oversees six regions. Abdul Alim is the party’s president in the Dadpur region. Kabir also alleged that another person was arrested on Monday.
“The administration is arresting my people arbitrarily. They can arrest me too if they want,” Kabir said.
Kabir has also written to the Election Commission over the arrests, alleging that the Superintendent of Berhampore Police District was attempting to influence the election.
The Rejinagar by-election was necessitated after Kabir, who won both Rejinagar and Nowda in the 2026 Assembly elections, vacated the Rejinagar seat. He has fielded his son, Golam Nabi Azad, as the AJUP candidate in the by-election scheduled for October 6. Reports have also said Kabir and his son have stepped back from ground-level campaigning amid his allegations of police action against party workers.
The police have separately taken action in several cases involving people associated with the election. An independent Rejinagar candidate, Saiful Islam, who is associated with AJUP, was arrested on September 19 in connection with a 2021 election-related clash, according to police.
Kabir has alleged that AJUP is being prevented from campaigning and that the police are acting in favour of the ruling party. These allegations are his claims and have not been independently established.
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