The District Magistrate in Murshidabad district, West Bengal, who is also the District Electoral Officer, filed an FIR against the Trinamool Congress legislator from Farakka Assembly constituency. The legislator was accused of leading party activists in vandalism at a center for hearings on claims and objections on the draft voters’ list at Farakka over a week ago. However, the FIR was lodged almost 48 hours after the Election Commission of India’s deadline for the same.
The Election Commission had instructed the District Electoral Officer of Murshidabad to register an FIR against Manirul Islam by 5 p.m. on Thursday and inform the ECI accordingly. Due to the delay in registering the FIR against the legislator, the ECI expressed dissatisfaction, prompting the FIR to be finally lodged on Saturday afternoon.
In response to these events, Islam stated to the media that he would welcome being behind bars if it meant speaking for the common people. He alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party and the ECI were aligned, with the latter functioning as an extended arm of the ruling party at the Center.
Although delayed, the BJP welcomed the FIR against Islam, emphasizing the need for an impartial investigation and immediate strict action against him. The BJP’s organizational district chairman in Murshidabad, Subal Chandra Ghosh, stressed the importance of holding Islam accountable for obstructing the work of an autonomous organization, vandalizing government premises, and threatening poll officials.
