Kolkata, Sep 19 (IANS) Milan Pradhan, the Congress candidate for the Nandigram Assembly bypoll in East Midnapore district next month, was on Saturday denied bail by a district court in East Midnapore after being arrested in an old murder case registered against him.
The judge remanded him to 14 days of judicial custody, which means he will remain behind bars until October 3. The bypolls for Nandigram, as well as for the Rejinagar Assembly constituency in Murshidabad district, will be held on October 6, with results to be declared on October 9.
This effectively prevents Pradhan from participating in the campaign process, and he will likely have to contest the bypoll from jail unless a higher court grants him bail in the meantime.
Milan will be produced before the same district court on Monday in connection with another old case registered against him.
He was arrested on Friday evening from Chandipur in East Midnapore in connection with a 2007 murder case linked to the anti-land acquisition movement at Nandigram during the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee-led Left Front regime. A total of four cases related to rioting, murder, and criminal intimidation were registered against him during that period.
The deadline for withdrawal of nominations for the Nandigram by-election ended on Saturday. Rumours had suggested that the Congress candidate, like Sanchita Dey Pradhan of the Mamata Banerjee-led faction in Trinamool Congress, would also withdraw. However, that did not happen.
The West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee launched a scathing attack against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the state government over Milan’s arrest.
State Congress leader Ajitesh Pandey said, “The police told the district court that they had not found Milan for the last 19 years. Now they have found him after he became a candidate in the election. Isn’t it strange? Multiple cases have been filed against him. After this, Milan will be produced in the same court again on Monday in relation to another case registered at Khejuri Police Station in East Midnapore. However, we are not leaving the voting ground.”
--IANS
src/dan