Story perspectives

Bengal Police Arrest Congress Candidate Milan Pradhan Over Murder Case

By Drooid · Sep 18, 2026, 4:38 PM UTC · How we work

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BJP police suppression

Congress candidate Milan Pradhan was arrested in West Bengal on Friday in connection with a 19-year-old murder case.
The arrest is framed as a BJP-controlled police move to suppress opposition before the Nandigram bypoll.
Mamata Banerjee said her party will support Milan Pradhan after Sanchita Pradhan withdrew her candidacy.
Shubhankar Sarkar warned the BJP seeks one-party rule, endangering opposition politics.

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Arrests Spark Fear

West Bengal police arrested Congress candidate Milan Pradhan on Friday in connection with a 2007 murder case.
Trinamool leaders called the arrest unbelievable, saying it revealed fear and a loss of confidence in the political process.
Mamata Banerjee said her faction would back Pradhan after Sanchita Pradhan Dey withdrew.
Pradesh Congress Committee General Secretary Subhasish Bhattacharya was also arrested on the same day.

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Backing Congress Candidate

Congress candidate Milan Pradhan was arrested in West Bengal on Friday for an old murder case.
The arrest occurred hours after Banerjee announced backing Pradhan and after Election Commission froze Trinamool Congress name and symbol.
Sanchita Pradhan Dey withdrew her nomination after meeting Suvendu Adhikari at the Nabanna secretariat.
Banerjee said her faction would not field a Nandigram candidate.
The faction pledged support for the Congress nominee in the October 6 by-poll.

History

Historical Context

June 1975 Indira Gandhi invoked emergency powers, employing MISA to detain opposition figures such as Jayaprakash Narayan and Atal Bihari Vajpayee; 34,988 arrests were recorded under MISA. The repression helped the Janata Party win the March 1977 election. In March 2024 West Bengal police arrested Congress candidate Milan Pradhan before a by-poll, recalling the Emergency’s use of police to silence rivals.

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BJP police suppression

Congress candidate Milan Pradhan was arrested in West Bengal on Friday in connection with a 19-year-old murder case.
The arrest is framed as a BJP-controlled police move to suppress opposition before the Nandigram bypoll.
Mamata Banerjee said her party will support Milan Pradhan after Sanchita Pradhan withdrew her candidacy.
Shubhankar Sarkar warned the BJP seeks one-party rule, endangering opposition politics.

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