Anarul Hossain claims innocence, says he is 'victim of conspiracy'

Trinamool’s Rampurhat block chief Anarul Hossain on Friday said that he surrendered following West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s instructions. He claimed he was ‘innocent’ and a ‘victim of conspiracy’. Banerjee during her visit to Bagtui village on Thursday had directed Hossain to either surrender or police would arrest him.

Hossain was arrested from Tarapith in Rampurhat and remanded to 14-day police custody, after he was produced in a court on Friday by the SIT. “I am innocent. I have surrendered to the police as Mamata Banerjee told me to surrender. I have been with Trinamool since its inception. I have been framed due to no fault of mine,” Hossain said. “There were allegations that Hossain was the mastermind of the massacre in which eight people were charred to death. The accused, who were arrested, claimed that they had been instructed by Hossain to commit the crime,” Police sources told ET.

“There were no FIRs against Hossain. He would have fled Rampurhat after the incident if he had connections with the incident,” Hossain’s lawyer said. Hossain’s is a rags-to-riches story. Growing up in an abject poverty, he worked as a mason and used to live with his family in a mud house.However, his ‘fortunes’ changed after 2011 and his rise in power was exponential, particularly visible in the last six years, sources told ET. “We want Hossain punished. He has made a lot of money and has tortured people,” a villager said. “His influence increased manifold after he became Trinamool block chief,” local sources told