West Bengal Legislative Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee on February 22 said that there was no reason that Indian Secular Front (ISF) MLA Naushad Siddique should remain in prison for so long. Mr. Siddique was arrested by the Kolkata Police on January 21 for his alleged role in the violence at Bhangar and Kolkata.
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“I personally feel that there was no reason for him [Mr. Siddique] to remain in prison for so long,” Mr. Banerjee said. The Speaker said that the lawyers representing Mr. Siddique would raise the issue before the Calcutta High court. The lone ISF MLA missed the entire Budget Session of the West Bengal Assembly which concluded on Tuesday. Mr. Siddique is the only non-Trinamool Congress and non-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA in the West Bengal Assembly.
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The arrest of the MLA and a number of his party supporters have emerged as an important issue in State politics. The MLA has approached the Calcutta High Court seeking bail. During the hearing on Wednesday, the Court questioned as to why so many people were arrested in connection with a single incident.The Court also raised questions on the role of the lawmaker in the violence. The High Court will hear the bail petition of the MLA next week.
Several policemen had sustained injuries in the violence that broke out on January 21. The Trinamool Congress leadership had called the ISF a “B team of the BJP” and alleged an understanding between the ISF and the BJP. The State BJP leadership, however, claimed that the police had acted out of “political motives” in connection with the arrest of the ISF MLA.