Senior Bengal BJP leaders, including general secretary Sayantan Basu, were arrested at Sitai More in Mathabhanga of Cooch Behar district on Sunday while they were heading to Sitalkuchi to attend a public meeting in support of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act

The leaders were trying to reach a place where prohibitory orders were in force to prevent breach of peace, police said.

All of them were taken to Mathabhanga police station and released around 5.30pm.

Apart from Basu, Arshad Alam, all-India secretary of the BJP’s minority morcha, Kamal Hasan Khan, a state general secretary of the minority morcha, Malati Rava, the Cooch Behr district president of the BJP, and party leaders Nikhil Ranjan Dey and Nityananda Munshi were arrested.

“The BJP had planned a public meeting at Gossairhat High School ground in Sitalkuchi today (Sunday) in support of the CAA. But there was an apprehension of breach of peace and so, no permission was granted for the meeting. Prohibitory orders were also clamped in the area. The BJP leaders, however, insisted that they would attend the meeting. That was why they were arrested,” police sources said.

Despite the prohibitory orders, some BJP workers had gathered at Sitalkuchi. From the Mathabhanga police station, Basu addressed them through the phone.

“We have been arrested for no reason. We will soon hold another public meeting in Sitalkuchi and gather around one lakh people. We will then see how the police will stop us,” the BJP leader said.