Kolkata, Sept. 20 -- The detention of Congress' Nandigram bypoll candidate Milan Pradhan from a house in Chandipur took a dramatic turn after Pradesh Congress leader Subhashis Bhattacharya alleged that he and Pradhan were blindfolded, taken in separate vehicles to a resort in Mandarmani and pressured to withdraw Pradhan's candidature.
Bhattacharya, who was detained after allegedly intervening when police tried to take Pradhan away, said he heard Pradhan calling for help. He claimed that he was also taken into custody after objecting to the police action.
"After that, Milan and I were taken in separate vehicles. I was made to close my eyes and taken towards Mandarmani. We were taken to a resort and they told me to ask Milan to withdraw his papers," Bhattacharya alleged.
He claimed that an SDPO asked him to persuade Pradhan to withdraw. Bhattacharya said he refused, adding that they would not succumb to pressure.
Pradhan was arrested in connection with pending cases dating back to the 2007 Nandigram anti-land acquisition movement. Police have maintained that the arrest was linked to pending warrants. Bhattacharya was later released on a personal recognisance bond. The Election Commission said it had received no specific complaint regarding the alleged incident.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.