Humayun Kabir Taken Into Custody During Rejinagar Polling

Police took Aam Janata Unnayan Party chief and Nowda MLA Humayun Kabir into custody at his party office in Rejinagar on October 6, during voting in a West Bengal Assembly by-election. The action followed a heated exchange with police that escalated into a scuffle. Police officials said Kabir had violated the law, while he alleged that officers were intimidating voters and interfering with the poll. Beldanga Sub-Divisional Police Officer Anandjit Hore said Kabir was taken into custody for violating the law. Murshidabad Superintendent of Police Sachin Makkar said Kabir was not a candidate in the by-election or an authorised election agent and could not move around as he had been doing. The reports did not provide formal case details establishing the specific legal basis for the action. Accounts said police took Kabir from the party office and escorted him to a vehicle. He had cast his vote earlier in the day. Before the confrontation, Kabir had criticised police deployment near his residence and at polling booths, and called on people to resist what he described as police excesses. Kabir accused police of intimidating voters and preventing people from voting.