Rejinagar/Kolkata: The Rejinagar bypoll saw widespread allegations of police interference and rigging and detention of Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) chief Humayun Kabir, prompting the entire opposition to demand a fresh election.When Kabir, father of AJUP candidate Golam Nabi Azad, visited a party office 700 metres from a polling station, Rejinagar IC Anjan Barman ordered him to head home. “Why should I go? How can you push me out of here?” Kabir shouted. Video footage showed police grabbing him by the shirt and bundling him into a vehicle and taken to Rejinagar police station.Released after 12 hours in detention, he told reporters late on Tuesday, “I will recommend a Padma Shri for the Murshidabad SP and a Bharat Ratna for EC.” Earlier in the day, Kabir alleged that police had forced his party’s agents out of booths and confiscated voter slips.Police said Kabir was neither a candidate nor an authorised agent of any candidate, and accused him of provoking unrest. Murshidabad SP Sachin Makkar backed the police action, while Election Commission (EC) sought a report of the incident.CM Suvendu Adhikari said: “Everyone should abide by the law. What he did was very harmful for democracy. If Suvendu Adhikari leaves this booth and goes to other booths, that, too, would be a violation. Suvendu Adhikari may be CM, but police can detain him if he does anything illegal.”The bypoll, which recorded an 80 per cent turnout, became necessary after Kabir chose to vacate Rejinagar and retain Nawda.The turnout touched 18% by 9 am, 56.4% by 1 pm and 69.2% by 3 pm. AJUP candidate Azad said, “Nobody could cast their vote. So there is no doubt than BJP is gong to win. There would have been a contest had there been a fair poll.”Hours after Kabir was whisked away by cops in the morning, Congress candidate Mohammad Abdullahil Kafi held a sit-in outside the police station, demanding a repoll. Former Congress MP Adhir Chowdhury led a protest in Berhampore. Congress lodged a complaint with the CEO’s office in Kolkata alleging large-scale rigging and demanding repoll.Mamata Trinamool candidate Rabiul Alam Chowdhury mentioned “booth capturing, rigging and the blocking of polling agents” in his complaint to EC. He also alleged that his party’s agents were driven out of over 200 booths and polling began before the scheduled time at many places.Mamata Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, “Votes were looted using police and govt machinery. BJP workers were given a free hand to loot votes.”Democratic Trinamool neta Akhruzzaman alleged: “They (BJP and police) were working hand-in-glove with each other. It was a rigged match, designed to help the BJP candidate.”Denying electoral malpractice, CM Adhikari said, “A police observer from Karnataka is here. A general observer has arrived from Tripura. I have also heard that another police observer came from Jharkhand. Which parties are in power in those states?”In front of one of the booths, BJP candidate Shankharavh Sarkar got involved in an altercation with central forces after he was ordered to move away for shaking hands with voters in the queue.Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said, “You will be surprised by the Rejinagar result. The minority community has moved past Babri Masjid and is demanding jobs and factories in the state.”
