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The police issued five summons to the former MP, however, Singh didn’t appear. He has claimed that he has appealed in the court to quash the case against him.
BJP leader Arjun Singh. (File)
The West Bengal Police on Tuesday issued arrest warrant against BJP leader and former Barrackpore MP Arjun Singh after he failed to appear before the police in case related to violence that took place outside his house last month.
The police issued five summons to the former MP, however, Singh didn’t appear. He has claimed that he has appealed in the court to quash the case against him.
Singh alleged that all of this happened while the police stood by. One Trinamool Congress (TMC) worker was injured in the clashes.
Five rounds were fired outside Meghna Jute Mill in Bhatpara, two rounds near Singh’s house, and two bombs were thrown at his house in West Bengal’s Bhatpara, North 24 Parganas district.
The violence reportedly began when two groups clashed near the Meghna mill in Bhatpara. Singh was allegedly at Majdur Bhawan at the time and rushed to the scene after local TMC councillor Sunita Singh’s son, Namit Singh, reportedly arrived there. According to Singh, miscreants fired shots at him before fleeing.
A youth suffered injuries in the attack, which took place late on Wednesday last week. Singh and his close associates reportedly chased the assailants, forcing them to flee.
Singh alleged that Namit Singh, was behind the attack. “He opened fire in front of police. There was indiscriminate firing and bombing,” the former MP claimed.
TMC’s Jagaddal MLA Somnath Shyam accused Singh and his supporters of instigating violence. “Arjun Singh and his men attacked workers in the Meghna Jute Mill and fired bullets. The youth was shot by Singh, and three to four more people were injured in his group’s attack. We demand Singh’s immediate arrest, or we will launch a larger protest,” he said.
On Thursday afternoon, the police summoned Singh for questioning at Jagaddal police station. As he did not appear, a police team led by Jagaddal police station officer-in-charge Madhusudan Mondal visited his residence in the evening. Arjun Singh denied any involvement in the violence, stating that multiple cameras on the road could provide evidence of the incident.
Meanwhile, a large police contingent, including Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel, was deployed in the area to control the situation.
(With inputs from agencies)