Two dons and a college clash

To the investigators, the statement was a clear signal — that Ahmed, one of those blamed for the killing of ASI Tapash Choudhury, enjoys the blessings of the government. Hakim, who is considered Mamata Banerjee's right hand man in the state Cabinet, had Ahmed by his side at his Garden Reach borough office, which is not far from Harimohan Ghose College, on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, after the incident, Hakim had described the violence as a "joint venture" of the Congress and CPM goons against the Trinamool Congress. However, video footage of the incident had proved him wrong. On the basis of it, police arrested four, all of them associates of Ahmed, the TMC councillor from Ward 34.

Choudhury was shot during a clash between two rival students groups at the college over filing of nominations for the students' union elections. Ahmed is believed to have been present to scare away rival Congress's student wing from putting up candidates.

THE RIVALS

If the 48-year-old Ahmed a.k.a Munna is one half of the story of what transpired at Garden Reach — a crime-infested area near Kolkata Port — the other is Mohammad Mokhtar, a local leader of the Indian National Trade Union Congress. Ahmed belongs to the Trinamool's trade union, Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress.

Neither is a student leader, though Tuesday's violence was ostensibly a college clash. Both of them though are former CPM men who have risen in their new parties with muscle power. While the 50-year-old Mokhtar is a former CPM trade union leader with scores of criminal cases against him, Ahmed has come so far from his CITU past to establish himself as an indispensable leader of the Trinamool and a henchman of Hakim. So much so that the minister may find it difficult to retain his Garden Reach Assembly constituency without Ahmed's support.

Ahmed's political clout is now unquestioned as the chairman of borough 15 of Kolkata Municipal Corporation. A brorough office controls at least 10 municipal wards. While he is a first-time councillor, his clout and Hakim's backing ensured he got the post.

Ahmed is also the INTTUC president in five factories in Garden Reach area. Mokhtar, who has at least 25 criminal cases against him according to police sources, has gone underground after Tuesday's incident.

Police have lodged two cases in Tuesday's incidents, dealing with rioting, carrying of firearms and attempt to murder. Both Ahmed and Mokhtar have been named along with their men. "In the other case of murder of the police officer, we did not name anybody. But arrests have been made in the murder case," said V Solomon, Deputy Commissioner, Ports. Significantly, while all the sections lodged against Mokhtar and Ahmed are non-bailable, both are currently roaming free. "We need to collect evidence before we arrest them," say the police.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Ahmed said: "I went to the college to oversee election procedure. Sheikh Suhan, the prime accused who shot the police officer dead, does not belong to our party. And he had actually fired at our party member. The Congress and CPM are trying to malign my image."

THE HISTORY

Explaining the animosity between Mokhtar and Ahmed, a local trade union leader affiliated to the Left said: "Munna, brother of Mughal Bhai, a terror in the area, started his political career as a worker of CITU, the CPM trade union wing. Munna had always worked for Dilip Sen, the then zonal committee secretary of the CPM in Garden Reach. Mokhtar similarly used to work for the CPM and was the henchman of another leader. Munna always resisted the entry of Mokhtar in his area... Mokhtar managed to dislodge Munna out of Sen's political shelter in 2008."

Soon after that, Ahmed was arrested and several cases were lodged against him, including attempt to murder, rioting and arson. In 2009, he joined the TMC. He was announced the party in charge of Garden Reach area at a public meeting held by Mamata in 2009. In a year, the CPM strongman emerged as a new don of the TMC as he was given a ticket in the civic election.

Explaining his shift from the CPM, Ahmed said: "I used to work for the CPM and I was a CITU leader. But CPM leaders conspired against me to give Mokhtar a superior position. He became the CITU leader in Garden Reach area, forcing me join the TMC. I was inspired by Didi's speech in 2009."

Mokhtar shifted his allegiance to the Congress in the 2011 Assembly elections after he was denied a position by the CPM. The Congress is standing by him, with PCC chief Pradip Bhattacharya saying, "Mokhtar was not present in the area at the time of violence and he was at his residence at that time."

THE PRESENT

The battle between Mokhtar and Ahmed largely revolves around profit-sharing in recruitment of contractual labourers for the Kidderpore dockyard. The dockyard adjoining Garden Reach has a total of 16 berths in two docks and at least 600 big vehicles enter the dock complex providing livelihood to over 10,000 labourers. Of the 10,000 dock labourers, not more than 3,000 are permanent workers of the port.

Manas Som, a retired trade union leader, said: "Earlier, there were 9,300 permanent labourers in the dock. But now the number has fallen to 3,000. The trade unions fight over control of these contractual labourers as they provide money."

According to sources, Ahmed and Mokhtar supply contractual labourers to the dock complex and also control the workforce in about five big factories and numerous small factories in the area. The trade union gets at least 20 per cent "cut" on the daily wages of the contractual labourers.

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