Bengal police arrest Rejinagar bypoll candidate days after Nandigram candidate Milan Pradhan’s arrest

An Independent candidate for the Rejinagar assembly bypoll in West Bengal was arrested in a five-year-old case of a clash between two groups during the 2021 state elections , police said. The two bypolls slated for October 6 were necessitated after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari vacated Nandigram, which he had won alongside Bhabanipur, while Rejinagar fell vacant after Mr. Kabir retained Nawda upon winning both seats in the 2026 assembly elections. "Officials from Berhampore police station arrested Saiful Islam in connection with a case dating back to the previous assembly election, when a clash had broken out between two groups," an officer told PTI . The police on Saturday (September 19, 2026) also sent a notice to the AJUP chief, directing him to appear before investigating officers on Monday (September 21) in a case registered over an alleged conspiracy to foment tension between two communities.

A senior officer said the case was registered on September 14, after police recently released an audio recording during a press conference in Berhampore. Police claimed the conversation indicated a possible conspiracy to instigate tension between two communities. Meanwhile, AJUP state secretary Ashik Iqbal was arrested on Friday (September 18) during vehicle checking at a police picket in Murshidabad district with a large quantity of fake currency and illegal arms, officials said. Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal.

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