Pradhan Arrested on 2007 Warrants for Nandigram Bypoll

Milan Pradhan, the Congress candidate for the Nandigram Assembly bypoll, was arrested on September 18, 2026, on four pending nonbailable warrants from 2007 cases, effectively barring him from campaigning for the October 6 election. The arrest occurred hours after former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced her faction's support for Pradhan's candidacy. Pradhan was remanded to judicial custody until October 3, the day before campaigning ends for the bypoll. The charges against him include murder, attempt to murder, abduction with intent to murder, causing disappearance of evidence, house trespass, and rioting with arms and deadly weapons, stemming from the 2007 anti-land acquisition movement in Nandigram. He was also booked under sections of the Arms Act. Police stated that the arrest was part of a special drive to execute long-pending warrants, following a standing instruction from the Election Commission of India for all elections and by-elections. The West Bengal Police said Pradhan had been absconding for 19 years since 2007 and was listed as an absconder in the relevant cases.