Congress Nandigram Bypoll Candidate Granted Interim Bail in Two-Decade-Old Murder Cases

Milan Pradhan, the Congress party candidate for the upcoming Nandigram Assembly bypoll, has received interim bail from the Calcutta High Court after spending 11 days in custody. Justice Tirthankar Ghosh granted Pradhan bail for three weeks ahead of the October 6 poll and ordered him to surrender before the Haldia court on October 21. Pradhan was arrested on September 18, just hours after the Trinamool Congress candidate withdrew from the race and party chief Mamata Banerjee announced support for Pradhan. He was granted interim bail in six cases from two decades ago, with five located in Nandigram and one in neighboring Khejuri.

The Charges And Co-Accused

Pradhan faces proceedings in four murder cases connected to the 2007 land agitation when he and other figures were members of the Bhumi Uchchhed Pratirodh Committee formed to protest land acquisition for a chemical hub. His co-accused in these matters include prominent local leaders from both the Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, such as TMC leader Abu Taher and BJP leader Swadesh Das Adhikary. Pradhan listed all four cases in his electoral affidavit, and police chargesheets have listed him as absconding. Pradhan's lawyer, Ajitesh Pandey, noted that while the state government withdrew movement-related cases in 2021, the Calcutta High Court later ordered them reopened after a legal challenge, and Pradhan had never sought bail earlier.

Victim Families Await Closure

While the political contest for the bypoll involves candidates like the BJP's Hasirani Rath, families of victims from the 2007 violence continue to struggle for closure. Sumitra Midda, whose husband Chanchal Midya went missing in November 2007 during a party rally, recalled how she was later pressured by TMC workers to sign papers dropping her pursuit of the case. In nearby Gokulnagar, 70-year-old Anjali Mondal lives alone after losing her only son Dilip Mondal, a 19-year-old CPI(M) worker shot dead by suspected BUPC supporters in April 2007. Anjali earns a living by combing human hair for wigs, making about Rs 350 for every kilo she untangles over eight days, and stated she knows nothing about the current election or arrests.

Context

The 2007 Nandigram land acquisition protests marked a major turning point in West Bengal politics, leading to widespread clashes between political groups and eventually reshaping the state's power balance. Decades later, criminal proceedings stemming from that period continue to resurface during local elections, entangling individuals who have since shifted across various political parties. Interim bail allows candidates to campaign while legal proceedings remain ongoing, keeping historical political tensions alive in active electoral contests.