Rejinagar: Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) chief Humayun Kabir was detained by West Bengal Police on Tuesday during polling for the Rejinagar Assembly by-election after a confrontation with police personnel outside his party office. The incident occurred shortly after Kabir cast his vote along with his family. According to reports, he had been criticizing the deployment of security forces near his residence and at polling booths since the morning, alleging that the heavy police presence was intended to influence the election process.

The situation escalated when police officers arrived at the AJUP office following Kabir’s repeated remarks against the force. A heated exchange of words reportedly turned into a scuffle, during which police personnel escorted Kabir into a vehicle and detained him. Before and after voting, Kabir accused the police of intimidating voters and acting in a partisan manner, claims that added to tensions surrounding the by-election. The incident drew attention as polling continued under tight security across the constituency.

The Rejinagar bypoll was necessitated after Humayun Kabir retained the Nowda Assembly seat, leaving Rejinagar vacant following the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. The AJUP has fielded Kabir’s son, Golam Nabi Azad, while the contest also features candidates from the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress and CPI(M). Voting was also underway in the Nadigram Assembly constituency, with election authorities maintaining heightened security to ensure peaceful polling.