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Milan Pradhan was arrested in connection with a murder case that surfaced during the 2007 Nandigram anti-land acquisition protests, which were led by Mamata Banerjee
Congress leader Milan Pradhan and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee
In a dramatic sequence of events, Congress candidate for the Nandigram bypoll Milan Pradhan was arrested Friday in a 2007 murder case, hours after he received the support of former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Pradhan was arrested in connection with a murder case that surfaced during the 2007 Nandigram anti-land acquisition protestswhich were led by Mamata Banerjee.
The development came after Sanchita Pradhan Dey, who had been fielded by the Mamata faction in Nandigram, withdrew her candidature after a meeting with Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Suvendu Adhikari at Nabanna on Friday, September 18.
The bypoll in Nandigram was necessitated because Suvendu Adhikari won from two assembly constituencies –– Nandigram and Bhabanipur –– and chose to vacate the Nandigram seat, keeping Bhabanipur as per electoral rules.
Who Is Milan Pradhan?
A veteran Congress leader from Sonahura in Nandigram, Milan Pradhan rose to prominence during the 2007 anti-land-acquisition protests. He had also been involved in the ‘Bhumi Uchchhed Pratirodh Committee’ (BUPC), an umbrella organisation formed during the agitation against proposed land acquisition for industrialisation.
According to The Telegraph, in November 2007, CPI(M) cadres stormed Pradhan’s Sonachura residence, took away belongings, setting part of the house ablaze. The Congress leader, then 32, fled through the back door and reached a relief camp at Nandigram High School.
His name was linked to two murder cases during the Nandigram conflict. In 2021, The Telegraph reported that 63 people, including those associated with the TMC, Congress and BJP, were named accused in cases numbered 237 and 697.
On March 5, 2021, the Calcutta High Court paused the withdrawal of the cases, after which a Haldia court directed that these cases be reopened. Following this, Milan Pradhan, an accused, was reported to be among those who went into hiding after the revival of the cases.
However, the exact case number involved in Friday’s arrest has not been revealed so far. It was also unclear at the moment which sections were imposed on him.
Why Nandigram Matters
After the BJP’s landmark win in the West Bengal Assembly Election 2026, CM Suvendu Adhikari is set to face his first big test in the Nandigram bypoll scheduled on October 6.
The constituency carries a major significance for both the TMC and the BJP. The 2007 anti-land-acquisition movement in Nandigram set the stage for Mamata’s rise. In 2011, the TMC bagged this seat, ending the 34-year left rule in the state.
In 2016, Suvendu Adhikari, then a TMC candidate, clinched the Nandigram seat. However, in 2021, Banerjee witnessed a major setback in the constituency as Adhikari won the seat on a BJP ticket.
The Nandigram victory emerged as a key factor behind the BJP leader’s rise to prominence in West Bengal politics.
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Ask News18Milan Pradhan was arrested by the West Bengal Police in connection with a 2007 murder case stemming from the historical anti-land acquisition protests in Nandigram.
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A Journalism graduate, Meemansa Shekhawat is a sub-editor at News18. Driven by a keen interest in news, she is a passionate writer with specialisation in national and international affairs. You can re…Read More
September 18, 2026, 7:44 PM IST
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