Kolkata, May 31 : The West Bengal Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Wednesday arrested another Kurmi leader in connection with the attack on the convoy of Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
The arrested person has been identified as Dhananjay Mahato, alias Joy.
With this, the total number of arrests in the case has increased to 10, including Rajesh Mahato and Nishikanta Mahato — the two leading faces of the Kurmi movement in the state.
They are currently under judicial custody.
The Kurmis have been agitating in West Bengal demanding a Scheduled Tribe status.
According to information, the CID will present Dhananjay Mahato at a court in West Midnapore district on Wednesday, seeking his judicial custody.
Meanwhile, the Department has also received permission from a lower court to question the arrested Kurmi leaders at the correctional home where they are currently housed.
Soon after the attack, Rajesh Mahato, also a teacher at a state-run school, was first transferred from his native village and was subsequently arrested.
Soon after that, the cops arrested Nishikanta Mahato, his close aide.
The attack took place after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, at a public rally, alleged that the BJP and the Centre were trying to create a Manipur-like caste violence situation in West Bengal by instigating the Kurmis against people from other tribal communities in the state.
Rajesh Mahato has alleged that the entire development was a conspiracy hatched by the state government with the intention of ending the existence of the Kurmis in the state.
He has also demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to identify the real conspirators behind the attack on Abhishek Banerjee’s convoy.
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