E-Paper
Two detained for trying to bribe BJP’s Rahul Sinha
Subhasish Raychaudhuri and Aminul Rahaman met Sinha and offered ‘a huge amount’ to cross the border to smuggle cattle. Sinha made them wait and informed officers at the Jorasanko police station.
Two persons were arrested on Monday afternoon when they tried to bribe BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha at the party’s state headquarters, so they could smuggle cattle across the India-Bangladesh border.
Subhasish Raychaudhuri and Aminul Rahaman met Sinha and offered ‘a huge amount’ to cross the border to smuggle cattle. Sinha made them wait and informed officers at the Jorasanko police station. Policemen arrived within a few minutes and took them away. Sources said they are being interrogated.
Accepting bribes has become a hot political issue in poll-bound Bengal, with the recent Narada sting revealing 13 Trinamool leaders -- MLAs, MPs and ministers -- taking cash from the representative of a fictitious company.
Cattle smuggling is one of the most politically volatile problems in West Bengal. Most of the smuggling takes place through the border in North 24 Parganas, Nadia and Murshidabad districts.
Increased vigil by the BSF has led to a sharp dip in the incidents of smuggling. The BJP and all non-political outfits have formed vigilante groups to check trucks moving along the border areas to stop cattle smuggling to Bangladesh.
State BJP leaders said they would hold a press conference in the evening. Kolkata Police have also said they would conduct a press briefing.
