Bengal court issues arrest warrant against ex-BJP MP Arjun Singh
Former BJP MP Arjun Singh was accused of firing shots at some TMC workers in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district on March 2
Kolkata: A district court in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas issued an arrest warrant on Tuesday against Arjun Singh, the former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha member from the local Barrackpore seat, in connection with a violence on March 2 in which he was accused of firing shots at some Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers, police said. One person sustained bullet injury in that incident.
“Charges were registered against Singh under five sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and two sections of the Indian Arms Act. Police moved the Barrackpore court because Singh did not respond to back-to-back summons saying he was out of station,” a state police officer said requesting anonymity.
“The summons asked Singh to come to the local police station with his arms licence. Now, police can enter his residence with the arrest warrant to question him,” the officer added.
Singh told HT over phone that police moved the Barrackpore court on Tuesday after his lawyers filed a petition at the Calcutta high court challenging the case registered against him.
“My petition was filed before the bench of justice Jay Sengupta on Tuesday morning. The Barrackpore police moved court hours later to get an arrest warrant,” Singh said.
“Some criminals hurled bombs and fired shots near my residence at Jagaddal on the night of March 2. I went out to see what was happening. I said after the incident that if police produce even one security camera footage showing me firing a shot I would surrender. They failed to produce any evidence,” Singh added.
Somnath Shyam, Jagaddal’s TMC legislator, alleged on March 3 that Singh and his men attacked TMC workers with firearms and one person sustained bullet injury in the leg. Shyam alleged that Singh led the attack and fired several shots.
Singh, a former TMC legislator, left the ruling party before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and defeated the then sitting TMC Barrackpore Lok Sabha member Dinesh Trivedi. The election was marked by violence which continues intermittently in the region.
In May 2022, Singh, who was a BJP state vice-president, returned to TMC after 38 months. However, he returned to BJP before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls after TMC did not field him from Barrackpore. Singh contested the polls but was defeated by TMC’s Partha Bhowmick.
