Kolkara, 19 September (H.S.) : A massive political row has erupted in West Bengal following the arrest of Milan Pradhan, the Congress candidate fielded from the Nandigram Assembly constituency. A day after his arrest, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) released a statement on Saturday revealing that Pradhan’s past is stained with severe and horrific criminal activities.
He faces four cases across two police stations, involving serious charges such as murder, attempted murder, and illegal arms possession. The CID stated that Pradhan is not an ordinary political worker, but a dreaded and habitual offender who had been evading the law for the past 19 years. His criminal modus operandi includes murder, abduction, lethal assaults, inciting riots, and the use of illegal firearms.
A resident of Gangra village under the Nandigram police station in Purba Medinipur district, Pradhan’s criminal record traces back to the turbulent era of the 2007 Nandigram agitation.
According to details compiled by the state investigative agency, courts had issued non-bailable warrants against him in four separate heinous cases. Three of these cases are registered at the Nandigram police station, while one is lodged at the neighboring Khejuri police station. He has been booked under stringent sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act for murder, attempted murder, abduction with the intent to murder, destroying evidence, house trespass, and rioting while armed with deadly weapons.
According to official documents, the first major case against Pradhan was registered on April 30, 2007, at the Nandigram police station, which included charges of murder, rioting, and Section 27 of the Arms Act. Subsequently, on July 30, 2007, a case involving the possession of illegal arms and rioting was filed at the Khejuri police station. Later that year, on November 8 and November 15, two additional cases were registered at the Nandigram police station, bringing brutal charges of abduction, murder, and the destruction of evidence or bodies. The police had completed investigations in all these matters and filed charge sheets in court, officially declaring Pradhan an absconder.
For the past 19 years, law enforcement agencies made multiple attempts to apprehend Pradhan, but he repeatedly managed to dodge arrest and go underground. Police consistently submitted non-execution reports to the respective courts, noting that the accused was continuously absconding and hiding his identity. Despite evading the law for so many years, the Congress party made him its candidate for a highly sensitive constituency like Nandigram. Furthermore, the decision of the Mamata Banerjee-led camp to withdraw their candidate, Sanchita Pradhan, and immediately extend open support to him is now raising serious political questions regarding the real motives behind offering a political shield to such a notorious, declared fugitive.
Notably, the police arrested Pradhan on Friday, a move that has drawn fierce criticism from the Congress. The party has strongly condemned the action, terming it a dictatorial step and a dark day for democracy.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh