Milan Pradhan, the Congress candidate for the Nandigram bypolls, was remanded on Saturday to 14 days of judicial custody by the Haldia Sub-Divisional Court—till October 3, which is just three days before the October 6 bypolls.
According to the West Bengal Police, Pradhan was arrested on Friday based on four pending arrest warrants for his alleged involvement in non-bailable cases related to rioting, murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping and criminal intimidation.
All four warrants are linked to cases dating back to the violence that broke out amid the 2007 anti-land acquisition movement in Nandigram, due to which the Opposition has strongly lashed out at the BJP over its alleged intimidation tactics.
They added that he had also been booked under relevant sections of the Arms Act, in connection with the 2007 violence.
"The prosecution maintained in court that Pradhan was absconding for the past 19 years and the police were unable to trace him. They have arrested him now because they have only now been able to find him," Pradhan's counsel told PTI.
Amid these court proceedings on Pradhan's cases, the deadline for filing nominations for the October 6 bypolls in Nandigram and Rejinagar expired on Saturday.
This comes despite All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary K.C. Venugopal earlier insisting that the party would go forward with Pradhan itself for the bypolls.
The Congress leader was to take on Mohammad Eteshamul Haque from the Ritabrata Banerjee camp and Hasirani Rath, the mother of CM Adhikari's slain aide, Chandranath Rath.
Pradhan's arrest came hours after former CM and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee backed him for the bypolls, following the sudden withdrawal of her own candidate, Sanchita Pradhan Dey, from the fray.
As a result, both the Mamata camp and the Congress have criticised the BJP for the sudden arrest as a move to "destroy the Opposition parties", and have demanded his immediate release.
The saffron party maintains that no political motives were behind the arrest.
Pradhan will be produced before the Contai Sub-Divisional Court in a separate case on Monday, as per a local media reports.
