Congress' Nandigram bypoll candidate sent to judicial custody till October 3; can’t campaign

A court in East Midnapore’s Haldia sent Milan Pradhan, the candidate fielded by the Congress in Nandigram for the upcoming by-elections, to judicial custody till October 3.

“Pradhan was produced in a court in Haldia. His bail plea was rejected. The court sent him to judicial custody till October 3,” said a senior police officer.

To be sure, the arrest and the judicial custody will not disqualify Pradhan from contesting the poll but with the by-elections in the Nandigram assembly seat scheduled on October 6, Pradhan will not be able to campaign for the polls.

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“The voters of Nandigram may not be able to see Pradhan during the campaign period. They may not see posters and banners. But the people of Nandigram have seen everything what happened. I would urge every voter to stand for Pradhan and lodge their protest through the EVM,” Subhankar Sarkar, state Congress president said.

The police said in a statement that Pradhan was arrested in connection with four pending non-bailable arrest warrants pending at Nandigram police station. The cases involve serious offences including murder, attempt to murder and abduction with intent to murder.

Pradhan was arrested on Friday in connection with four murder cases registered against him in 2007 during the bloody agitation over farmland acquisition. In all 14 persons were killed. Police said that he has been absconding for 19 years.

“The ruling party is scared,” Pradhan said on his way to the court.

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Senior Congress leaders of the state including the state Congress president were present in the court when Pradhan was produced.

“This is autocracy. The ruling party is abusing its power. They are arresting anyone who is supporting Mamata Banerjee or any person whom she supports. He was arrested after Banerjee lent her support to the Congress candidate,” Kalyan Banerjee, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP known to be a loyalist of Banerjee said.

“The Congress in West Bengal has to be seen through a binocular. People remembers that that there was a party named Congress in the state when they see Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury,” Dilip Ghosh, minister and veteran Bharatiya Janata Party leader said.