Last week, the village head had called a meeting to decide the fate of one Akram who had allegedly been harassing a woman. During the meeting, Mondol supported Akram and abused the lady, who then filed a complaint with the Kaliachak police station.

Mondol was arrested from his home around 7 am on Friday. According to eyewitnesses, a group of people led by local CPM leader Abdul Barek stormed the police station around 10 am. They argued that Mondol was ill and needed immediate medical treatment. When the police officers refused to budge, the group forcibly took him away in a cavalcade of motorbikes, which was waiting outside the police station. A police jeep gave them chase for some time before giving up, bystanders added.

Inspector In-charge Manik Lodh was present at the police station when the reported incident occurred.

During the day, the police, however, claimed that Mondol was admitted in a Kaliachak hospital. But contradicting the police version, hospital sources said that no one by that name had been admitted according to their records.

“Mondol complained of chest pain after we arrested him. Since there was no police vehicle available, some local residents took him to the hospital. He is still under arrest,” defended Malda SP Satyajit Bandyopadhyay.

Sheikh Naimuddin, a member of the CPM district secretariat, said: “Mondol is an old man. Our boys had gone to the police station to inquire why he was arrested when he was not keeping well.”

Residents of Chandpur village said that police officials, including Lodh, negotiated with Barek and his men after which Mondol was finally admitted to hospital around 3 pm.

“Mondol was admitted to the hospital by some locals in the evening. He was not accompanied by any police officer,” confirmed Block Health Officer Niloy Chakraborty.