Cop murder: TMC councillor Mohd Iqbal arrested from Bihar

Kolkata, Mar 7: Trinamool Congress (TMC) councillor Mohammed Iqbal, one of the accused in the sub-inspector murder case in violence in Garden Reach area here last month, was arrested today from Bihar, officials said.

"We have arrested Iqbal from Dehri-on-Sone area near Gaya in Bihar. He was arrested at around 8 PM today. He will be brought to Kolkata tomorrow," ADG (CID) Sivaji Ghosh told PTI.

Sub-inspector Tapas Choudhury was killed during the violence between Congress and Trinamool supporters near a college in Garden Reach on February 12. The Kolkata Police's detective department had arrested 12 people along with Sheikh Subhaan who had allegedly fired at Choudhury.

After West Bengal Governor M K Narayanan's strong criticism of the violence and attack by opposition parties, the case was handed to the CID which has already arrested Congress leader Moktar few days back.

The murder of the police officer in broad daylight sparked off a massive ruckus in the state politics with the opposition slamming the Mamata Banerjee government of trying to shielding the culprits. Even the police commissioner of Kolkata, Ranjit Kumar Pachnanda, was replaced for taking a stern stand on nabbing the criminal.

State urban development minister Firhad Hakim was also accused of guarding the criminals. Although it was said that the minister was reprimanded by the CM later, but the opposition claimed that the CM allowed the minister to get away despite backing criminals.

PTI