2 min readKolkataJun 30, 2026 04:24 PM IST
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) Tuesday arrested Trinamool Congress (TMC) councillor Sakir Ali in connection with the widespread violence that erupted during the 2023 Ram Navami processions in Rishra, Hooghly.
Ali, a TMC councillor representing Ward No. 4 of the Rishra municipality, was taken into custody following an early morning raid at the residence of his wife, former Arambagh TMC MP Aparupa Poddar.
According to NIA sources, Ali is accused of inciting clashes and orchestrating targeted violence. His arrest follows a prolonged, comprehensive investigation and subsequent statements provided by previously arrested co-accused.
An NIA team, flanked by Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel, reached Poddar’s residence Tuesday morning to execute a search warrant. While Ali was initially detained for questioning at the scene, investigators arrested him after noticing significant discrepancies and contradictions in his statements.
The NIA revealed that advanced forensic and digital evidence trails were instrumental in cracking the conspiracy. Investigators utilised tower dumping and comprehensive call detail records (CDRs), CCTV footage from around the crime scenes, and geospatial analysis of viral social media videos.
The agency noted that the evidence strongly points to a pre-planned conspiracy designed to disrupt public order. The arrest comes amid a series of central agency operations targeting local TMC leaders and municipal councillors across West Bengal over the past few weeks.
The NIA is expected to produce Sakir Ali before the designated special court shortly to seek transit remand and extended custody for deeper custodial interrogation.
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In April 2023, communal tensions flared up across several parts of West Bengal during Ram Navami celebrations, with major disturbances reported in Howrah, Dalkhola, Shibpur, Serampore, and Rishra.
In Rishra, a massive clash erupted as a Ram Navami rally, joined by senior BJP leader and then-national vice president Dilip Ghosh, passed near the Wellington Jute Mill after originating from Bangur Park. The procession was suddenly met with heavy stone-pelting, arson, and widespread vandalism.
Security forces escorted Ghosh and other political leaders to safety, but the area remained volatile under a heavy police blanket for several days. At the time, the BJP accused both Sakir Ali and Aparupa Poddar of making highly provocative, inflammatory remarks that triggered the tensions.
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