Kolkata, April 4 Aam Janata Unnayan Party founder Humayun Kabir on Saturday termed the arrest of a former candidate of his ally AIMIM for the gherao of seven judicial officers in Malda as "unjust and politically motivated".
He claimed that the police had actually arrested the person who "helped in restoring peace in the area".
The West Bengal Police on Friday arrested two persons, including advocate Mofakkarul Islam, who has been described by the force as the "mastermind" of the gherao on Friday.
Reacting to the police action, Kabir, in a social media post, said, "The action by the Bengal CID following Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's instruction is unjust and politically motivated."
Islam was arrested on the charge of instigating the Malda incident.
Kabir, who was suspended from the Trinamool Congress in December last year, claimed the "facts of the incident are being misrepresented and twisted".
He claimed that Islam had addressed a gathering at Danga in Sujapur Assembly constituency, in front of Al-Sifa Hospital on National Highway 12, where a peaceful protest had been underway since morning, quite a distance from Mothabari.
Kabir asserted that the protest had no connection with the gherao of the judicial officers. "There is no evidence of Mofakkarul Islam being present or delivering any speech at that location," he said.
He further alleged that Islam had, in fact, tried to defuse the tension at Sujapur by holding discussions with the administration in the presence of the additional district magistrate, leading to the end of the protest.
"It is shocking that a person who helped restore peace has been arrested," Kabir said.
He claimed that Trinamool Congress candidate Sabina Yasmin and Congress' Abdul Hannan were present at the Sujapur gathering and had expressed support for the protest, with videos of them at the site circulating on social media.
"However, no action has been taken against them," the AJUP founder added.
Kabir alleged that demands for action against Islam had initially surfaced from the IT cell of a particular political party and were later echoed by the ruling establishment.
He demanded the "immediate and unconditional release" of Islam and called for a "fair, transparent and impartial investigation" into the whole episode.