Serampore: Police arrested two Trinamool volunteers in Serampore late on Thursday in connection with extortion cases. The accused, Sudip Acharya and Nur Islam, were picked up from their homes.A day before Mamata Banerjee’s rally in Serampore, TMC on Friday claimed police have rounded up over 150 workers, including women, across the district. Among those detained is a homemaker, who was taken to Dankuni police station, the party said.Serampore MP Kalyan Banerjee condemned the “crackdown”. “Police have started a massive action against our workers and have rounded up more than 150 of them, including women. Despite this, a large number of people remain interested in attending Didi’s meeting,” he said.The planned rally at Serampore Court ground had previously faced legal hurdles before Calcutta High Court granted permission.Following a meeting with local police officials on Friday, Asit Mazumdar, convener of Serampore district TMC, accused the law enforcement of intentionally disrupting party operations. “We submitted all required documents to comply with the HC order, but police started massive arrests, forcing most of our workers to flee,” Mazumdar said, questioning the justification behind targeting the event’s volunteers.Dismissing TMC’s claims, local BJP MLA and minister Bhaskar Bhattacharya said the public has lost interest in the event.
