Nandigram: Police visited homes of several Trinamool netas in bypoll-bound Nandigram on Sunday, handing out court warrants in cases registered during the land movement and post-2021 poll violence.A large police contingent gathered outside the home of Sheikh Sufiyan, former general secretary of Trinamool’s Tamluk organisational district. Sufiyan was away for treatment; police pasted a legal notice on his premises.Sufiyan’s son-in-law Habibul said he found the timing suspect. “These are old political cases registered during the land movement, withdrawn by the previous government,” he said, adding that 70 politicians across parties face such cases.Police also visited the home of Sheikh Sahauddin, former member of Nandigram-1 panchayat samiti at Kendramari. Sahauddin had been arrested and granted bail in connection with the alleged murder of BJP worker Debabrata Das in 2021. He was not at home; police reported no recoveries.“Standard election protocols require us to execute pending non-bailable warrants to maintain law and order. The raids were strictly procedural,” a senior Nandigram police station officer said.Bengal Congress chief Subhankar Sarkar alleged the crackdown was politically motivated. “The sudden administrative crackdown right before the bypoll is nothing short of political drama. Why were these long-standing cases left dormant for so many years?” he said.
