The Haldia Subdivisional Court in West Bengal ordered Milan Pradhan, the Congress candidate for the Nandigram bypoll, to remain in judicial custody until October 3 after his arrest on Friday on a slate of charges that date back to the 2007 anti‑land‑acquisition protests.
Police said the arrest stems from four pending arrest warrants linked to non‑bailable cases of rioting, murder, attempted murder, kidnapping and criminal intimidation, all filed during the 2007 Nandigram agitation. Pradhan is also booked under sections of the Arms Act for possession of illegal arms.
Pradhan had been absconding for 19 years; law enforcers claimed they only located him after a renewed search. The court remanded him for 14 days, noting the four warrants yet to be heard.
His arrest came just hours after Mamata Banerjee announced she would back him for the October 6 election, after her own candidate withdrew. Both the Trinamool and Congress factions accused the case of political targeting, while the BJP dismissed the allegations and insisted the arrest was purely criminal.
He will be produced before the Contai court on Monday to face a fourth warrant. The Nandigram campaign is likely to be rattled ahead of the bypoll, with party leaders scrambling to adjust their strategies.