Humayun Kabir’s party hit by arrest over fake notes and guns

The arrest of an AJUP leader in Murshidabad adds to a series of legal cases surrounding Humayun Kabir ahead of the October 6 bypoll

PGurus Newsdesk

September 20, 2026

AJUP state secretary Ashiq Iqbal was arrested in Murshidabad with counterfeit notes and firearms, days before the Rejinagar Assembly bypoll

The arrest of an AJUP leader in Murshidabad adds to a series of legal cases surrounding Humayun Kabir ahead of the October 6 bypoll

Ashiq Iqbal, state secretary of the Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP), led by MLA Humayun Kabir, was arrested late Friday night in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district after police recovered a large quantity of counterfeit currency and illegal firearms from his vehicle. The arrest comes just days ahead of the October 6 Rejinagar Assembly bypoll, where AJUP has fielded Golam Nabi Azad, Kabir’s son, for the seat Kabir himself vacated after winning both Rejinagar and Nawda in the 2026 Assembly elections.

How The Arrest Unfolded

Police intercepted an SUV during a naka checking operation near Garinama in Murshidabad’s Hariharpara area on Friday night. A search of the vehicle turned up 108 counterfeit notes of Rs 500 denomination, two firearms and four rounds of ammunition. Iqbal, a resident of Kebalrampur who had unsuccessfully contested the Baharampur constituency in this year’s Assembly elections, was arrested along with another passenger, identified as Bablu Sheikh of Shahajadpur. Officers from Hariharpara Police Station booked both men on charges of possessing counterfeit currency and illegal weapons.

Kabir’s Allegation

AJUP founder and president Humayun Kabir responded sharply, alleging that the BJP is using police as an instrument to eliminate electoral competition ahead of the bypoll.

BJP’s Response

BJP’s Rejinagar candidate Shankharav Sarkar dismissed the framing, saying the contest isn’t about “who is Humayun Kabir, who brought fake money, who planted the bomb,” but about establishing good governance and bringing industry to the Rejinagar area. He expressed confidence that the BJP’s eventual win in the constituency was “just a matter of time.”

Part Of A Wider Legal Trail

The arrest isn’t Kabir’s camp’s only current entanglement with the law. Baharampur Police have separately issued a notice directing Kabir to appear before investigating officers on Monday, in connection with a case registered on September 14 alleging conspiracy to foment tension between two communities — a case that followed the release of an audio recording during a press conference in Berhampore that police say indicated a possible plot to instigate communal discord. Separately, an Independent candidate in the same Rejinagar bypoll was also arrested Saturday, in a five-year-old case tied to a clash between two groups during the 2021 state elections.