In a development that can further embarrass the ruling Trinamool Congress before the Assembly elections, a party leader from Malda was on Wednesday arrested for drug connections, sources said.
S Pramanik a party block vice president and a panchayat member was arrested from Kaliachak area for his alleged connection with heroine and poppy trade. He was being brought to Kolkata.
Malda had hit the national headlines in January when a riot broke out in the region after a violent mob went on rampage and burnt down three dozen vehicles and a police station. Apart from its communal face the violence had its origin in the Government crackdown on illegal opium and face-currency trade.
The Opposition then blamed the Trinamool Congress for stoking the opium fire by allowing hundreds of acres to go under poppy cultivation which the ruling outfit promptly denied.