Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) founder and legislator Humayun Kabir on Monday, 21 September 2026, filed a formal complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI), alleging that the West Bengal Police are selectively targeting his party's leaders and workers ahead of the Rejinagar assembly bypoll in Murshidabad district. In an unexpected escalation, Kabir also announced the suspension of his own campaigning for the seat.

The Allegations

Kabir told reporters that two senior party functionaries had been detained in quick succession. Munaim Sheikh, the AJUP block president for Beldanga-1, was arrested, while Sukhbar Mollah, the party's state committee secretary, was picked up from his home at midnight. Kabir claimed Mollah had been 'falsely implicated' in a case involving counterfeit currency and firearms.

'I have filed a complaint with the ECI highlighting the intentional and selective targeting of our party leaders and workers before the Rejinagar bypoll,' Kabir said. He added that he has demanded the immediate transfer of the Baharampur Police District superintendent and the inspectors-in-charge of the Beldanga Police Station and Rejinagar Police Station.

Kabir Suspends Campaign, Summoned by Police

In a move that could reshape the contest, Kabir directed his son and party candidate Golam Nabi Azad — who is contesting the Rejinagar assembly constituency — to halt physical outreach and shift entirely to social media, leaving 'the final decision to the voters of Rejinagar.' Kabir himself said he would step back from active campaigning.

Simultaneously, Kabir was summoned to Baharampur Police Station on Monday in connection with an audio clip that reportedly features him speaking about violence. The authenticity of the clip could not be independently verified. Police said they have registered a case against Kabir under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), asking him to cooperate with investigating officer Rabindranath Biswas or face action under Section 208 of the BNS.

Why Rejinagar Matters

Rejinagar, along with the Nandigram assembly constituency in East Midnapore district, is scheduled to vote on 6 October, with counting on 9 October. The bypoll was necessitated after Kabir — a former Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader — won two seats simultaneously in this year's assembly elections, from both Naoda and Rejinagar in Murshidabad. He chose to retain Naoda.

The seat is witnessing a seven-cornered contest, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), two TMC factions, the Indian National Congress, CPI-M, the Revolutionary Party, and AJUP all in the fray. Notably, around 65 per cent of voters in the constituency belong to the minority community, lending the bypoll added political weight in a district that has seen heightened communal and electoral sensitivities.

Broader Context

The allegations of police targeting opposition candidates ahead of state bypolls are not new to West Bengal; the pattern has surfaced in multiple pre-poll periods under the current state administration. Critics argue that complaints to the ECI have historically produced limited immediate relief, though they do place formal pressure on the state machinery. The simultaneous police summons to Kabir over the audio clip — on the same day he filed his ECI complaint — has sharpened the political narrative around the bypoll.

With the 6 October poll date fast approaching, all eyes will be on whether the ECI intervenes and whether Kabir's withdrawal from active campaigning materially affects AJUP's prospects in a constituency his party is contesting for the first time with a sitting legislator's backing.