Congress’s Nandigram candidate sent to 14-day judicial custody, party says ‘won’t back off’
Milan Pradhan was arrested on a day when former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee extended support to the Congress for the October 6 Assembly bypoll in Nandigram.
2 min readKolkataUpdated: Sep 20, 2026 06:17 AM IST
West Bengal Congress president Subhankar Sarkar (left) said that if Milan Pradhan (right) were jailed, thousands like him would take to the field and campaign in Nandigram.
(Express photo by Partha Paul)
The Congress’ Nandigram bypoll candidate Milan Pradhan was sent to 14-day judicial custody till October 3 by a local court on Saturday, a day after his arrest on multiple charges, including murder, that date back to 2007, the year when Nandigram was rocked by an agitation over land acquisition.
In a statement, the Purba Medinipur district police said Pradhan was arrested within the Chandipur police station limits on the basis of four pending non-bailable warrants in connection with cases — involving charges that include murder, attempt to murder, abduction with intent to murder, causing disappearance of evidence, house trespass, rioting with arms and deadly weapons — registered at Nandigram and Khejuri police stations.
“The arrested person had been absconding and evading the due process of law for 19 years since 2007 and stands chargesheeted in the concerned cases as an absconder,” the police statement said, adding, “repeated attempts to execute the warrants had failed in the past.”
“Execution of long-pending non-bailable warrants is a standing instruction of the Election Commission of India in respect of all elections/bye-elections. The arrest…is a lawful step towards compliance with the same during the course of an ongoing special drive,” the statement said.
Pradhan’s counsel Ajitesh Pandey said, “The cases date back to 2007. Other than Pradhan, arrest warrants were issued against several other accused. Police have mentioned Pradhan as an absconder in the charge sheet. After that the cases were withdrawn. However, someone appealed in the Calcutta High Court for reopening the cases. We don’t have the case details. Police did not even provide the charge sheet.”
Meanwhile, the state Congress unit said that it would not back off from the Nandigram bypoll despite Milan’s arrest.
Congress state president Subhankar Sarkar said, “People will not be able to see Milan Pradhan during the campaign but they can see the party symbol. Thousands of Milan Pradhans will take to the field in Nandigram.”
Atri Mitra is a highly accomplished Special Correspondent for The Indian Express, bringing over 20 years of experience to his reporting. His work is characterized by deep regional knowledge and a focus on critical administrative and political developments, establishing strong Expertise and Authority in his domain.
Experience
Current Role: Special Correspondent, The Indian Express.
Decades of Experience: Over two decades of extensive reporting experience, primarily covering administration and political news.
Geographical Focus: Holds significant reporting experience from West Bengal, Bihar, and the North-East, providing a comprehensive understanding of the socio-political landscape in these regions.
Key Coverage: Has dedicated more than ten years to covering administration and political news, with a keen focus on political developments in West Bengal.
Electoral Reporting: Demonstrated a commitment to crucial political moments, having covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections during his time at Anandabazar Patrika, and the 2019 Bihar Lok Sabha election while working with News18-Bangla.
Career Foundation: Began his career at the leading vernacular daily Anandabazar Patrika, where he worked for more than fifteen years, including a three-year stint as the Bihar correspondent.
Education
Advanced Degree: Holds a Master's degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University, providing an analytical framework for his political and administrative reporting.
Undergraduate Education: Holds a Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University.
Prestigious Alumni: His educational background includes attending esteemed institutions: he is an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur.
Atri Mitra's decades of dedicated reporting, substantial focus on political and administrative beats, and solid academic credentials make him a trusted and authoritative source for news and analysis from Eastern and North-Eastern India. ... Read More
