Siddiqui slams TMC govt over Koustav’s arrest: ‘I’m with him’

I was with the people and will continue to be with them despite intimidation by the state government. Police wrongly arrested me and they made the same mistake by arresting Koustav Bagchi. I want to tell him (Bagchi) that I am with him in his fight against the government.”

Siddiqui was granted bail on Thursday. However, he had to wait for two more days due to technical reasons, as his release paper reached the correctional home only on Saturday morning.

A total of 21 ISF workers, including Siddiqui, were released from judicial custody on Saturday.

Following his release, ISF supporters gave him a grand welcome and greeted him by showering flower petals on him.

The Bhangar MLA was arrested on January 21 after ISF members clashed with police at a protest rally in the city. The ISF workers were accused of assaulting police officers.

Meanwhile, Left-leaning intellectuals also criticised the Mamata Banerjee government for arresting Koustav Bagchi. Educationist Pabitra Sarkar said, “Police have illegally arrested him. This is a dangerous sign in a democracy. It raises questions about the role of the state police. It shows an autocratic mindset of the state government.”

Terming Bagchi’s arrest “unjust”, theatre personality and actor Kaushik Sen said, “Police have arrested him in an unjustified manner. We strongly condemn such kind of action.” Fellow actor Badsah Moitra, too, criticised the police action on the Congress leader.