11 people held for man’s escape from police custody

KOLKATA - Eleven suspected Trinamool Congress supporters, involved in helping an arms-smuggler escape from police custody in West Bengal’s East Midnapore district, were arrested Tuesday, police said.

They had helped the smuggler escape Monday, police said.

“We have arrested 11 people in connection with the escape of arms-smuggler Surajit Jana from police custody. We are not aware of their political affiliation,” said East Midnapore Additional Superintendent of Police Rishikesh Jana.

The arrests triggered chaos in the area as Trinamool activists, led by MP Subhendhu Adhikari, launched an agitation to protest the police action.

“Madan Mahon Roy, the officer-in-charge of Bhupatinagar police station, where the incident took place has been suspended for negligence in duty,” said Meena.

A senior police officer said: “We were looking for Surajit Jana after his name cropped up in an inter-state arms smuggling racket busted earlier.”

Acting on a tip off, police intercepted Jana, a resident of Brajaballavpur village in East Midnapore, Monday when he was crossing the Kalinagar check-post along the Nandakumar-Digha Highway, on a motorcycle with his wife, a police official said.

Investigation revealed that the racket supplied arms and ammunition to Maoists and protesters during the Nandigram violence in 2007.