Don linked to TMC leader held in Kolkata

MIDNAPORE: Kharagpur don Srinu Naidu — the husband of a BJP candidate in the municipal polls — was arrested near Nizam Palace in Kolkata on Tuesday night for alleged involvement in a murder attempt in Kharida locality on March 20.
The arrest of a history-sheeter considered close to Trinamool’s Kharagpur town president Debasish Chowdhury is likely to bring more embarrassment for the ruling party.As he was being taken to the Midnapore court lock-up on Wednesday morning, Srinu said, “Trinamool has tried to frame me. They demanded that I supply arms and explosives to them for the upcoming polls. I denied. I was picked up from Nizam Palace were I had gone for a meeting.”
Srinu’s arrest is being seen as a result of his fallout with Debasish Chowdhury. The last straw was apparently Srinu’s wife, A Pooja Rao, contesting Kharagpur Ward 18 on a BJP ticket.
Srinu’s alleged proximity to Debasish has been the talk of the town for some time now. Debasish and his followers had protested against police after the arrest of a Srinu aide, Mahesh, for the July 2012 murder. He denied the allegations, saying, “Srinu is a criminal with several cases against him. I, as a political leader, will not comment on some wild allegations made by a criminal.”
Srinu’s lawyer Joydip Mahapatra said Srinu was in New Delhi on March 20. “The day Srinu was arrested he had gone to Nizam Palace to decide production details of a Bengali movie he is directing and acting,” he said.