In what could go a distance to confirm the Opposition's allegation of JMB-TMC links, a senior Pradesh Congress leader Kanak Debnath has alleged, quoting from audio tapes, that Nuruddin Ali, a notorious Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh leader, has sneaked into India with active help of local police to help the Bengal-ruling outfit rig the ongoing civic elections.
According to former Congress general secretary Debnath, in a district crime meeting, Nadia Superintendent of Police had a few days ago instructed his subordinate officers not to hassle Ali who would be in this part of the border to help the Trinamool win civic elections.
"He even told the officers that they must ensure the Trinamool's win or else neither he nor his subordinates would be safe," Debnath said claiming he had audio tapes of the instructions given by the said SP.
Curiously, the same IPS officer had won accolades from the Trinamool for "efficiently" handling the multi-crore Saradha chit fund case before the CBI took over.
A day later State Opposition leader CPI(M) politburo member Suryakanto Mishra and BJP State president Rahul Sinha also made similar claims while they met Governor KN Tripathi sources said. "Nuruddin Ali is coming to Nadia with his 2,000 supporters to rig the polls and SP Arnab Ghosh has asked his officers not to mess with him" Sinha claimed.
Sources in the State Intelligence Branch also said that about 1,000 Bangladeshi criminals were camping at various parts of North 24 Parganas including South Dum Dum to ensure a "smooth polling in favour of the Trinamool Congress."
The Opposition had alleged JMB-TMC links during the Khagragarh blasts where two moles were killed in an accidental blast while making bombs in a house at Khagragarh. From the ground floor of the house, ran a local Trinamool office.
Bengal was in the midst of a highly charged up civic elections -- for 92 municipal boards -- deemed "semi-finals" before the next year's Assembly elections which was going to be a do-or-die affair for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee against the backdrop of chit fund scams, criminalisation of politics, farmer suicides and flight of capital.
Polling would take place in more than 4,500 booths and about 35 per cent of the State's total voters would exercise their voting rights on Saturday.
Polling for Kolkata Municipal Corporation was held on April 18 amid complaints of unprecedented rigging and violence that saw even a police officer getting shot by Trinamool goons. Many booths recorded polling of even up to 114 per cent and the Opposition parties were planning to move court challenging abnormally high polling rate.
With a massive mobilisation of criminals from across the border and neighbouring States like Bihar and Jharkhand, Saturday's polls could witness massive violence and booth-capturing, experts feel.
Meanwhile, in what could instill some last-minute confidence among the voters, 31 companies of Central forces were moving in to man the polls, Home Department sources said. The forces though would not be deployed in the booths would be used to contain violence on streets sources in the State Election Commission said.
The forces would be used in Siliguri, two Dinajpurs, Malda, Murshidabad, North 24 Parganas, sources said.
Elsewhere displaying a curious conduct a public prosecutor at Alipore, police court on Friday defended prime accused Pratap Saha who had allegedly got his goons to heckle actor-turned BJP leader Rupa Ganguli when she was campaigning for her party at Gopalnagar near the Chief Minister's house.
Saha who had earlier earned notoriety by attacking a local police station and who is also considered a right-hand man of State Housing Minister Firhad Hakim got anticipatory bail on Friday.