Former Assam Minister Siddeque Ahmed was arrested and sent to judicial custody for six days after his bail plea was rejected by a Karimganj court on Thursday in an assault case.
Mr. Siddeque, a Congress MLA, appeared before Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate S S A Rahman who rejected his bail plea in an assault case filed in 2011 and remanded him in judicial custody till May 6.
The court had earlier issued a non-bailable warrant against the MLA. He had approached Gauhati High Court and got temporary relief. He was later admitted to a hospital following an accident.
The court subsequently issued fresh non-bailable warrant against him and directed him to appear by April 30.
The original charge sheet did not contain the name of Mr. Ahmed and the complainant objected to this with the court issuing summon to the MLA for appearing in connection with the case.
Assam Police had earlier this month searched Mr. Ahmed’s official residence in Guwahati.
Following his arrest, a tension prevailed in the court premises with his supporters staging protest and resorting to violence.
Police lathicharged the protestors and brought the situation under control, a senior police official said.
Mr. Ahmed is the second Congress MLA to be arrested within a month with Rumi Nath being the first to be arrested for her alleged involvement with pan-Indian auto theft kingpin and arms dealer Anil Chauhan.
Mr. Ahmed is the sitting MLA from Karimganj South and was the Minister for Border Affairs and Cooperation but was dropped from the Cabinet in July last following dissidence against Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. -- PTI
