West Bengal: Another TMC Leader Arrested, Paraded in Public Over 2021 Post-Poll Violence
- Jun 16
- 4 min read
By Ajay Halder
Kolkata, June 16: Following the overwhelming victory of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in the West Bengal Assembly Elections, various crimes and exceses by the Trinamool Congress, which had been overlooked by the then administration, are being uncovered on a regular basis.
The latest case to come into the limelight is from Kulpi in South 24 Parganas district. Incidentally, Kulpi is a part of the Mathurapur Lok Sabha constituency and falls under the Diamond Harbour subdivision, which is a stronghold of Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee.
In this latest case, a Trinamool Congress leader has been arrested on multiple charges -including assault, vandalism of homes and extortion - linked to the post-poll violence of 2021. Police have arrested Hossain Ali Purkait, a Trinamool Panchayat member who's had been a source of terror in the Heliagachhi area of Kulpi.
As the arrested leader was being taken to court, locals chased him, shouting "Thief! Thief!"
The police intend to take him into custody to reconstruct the events. However, locals have breathed a sigh of relief following the arrest of Hossain Ali, who had long terrorized the area.
Such scenes have become commonplace following political shifts in the state.
Along with eggs, ink was also hurled at the Trinamool leader. Swapan Nandi, a Trinamool leader from Arambagh, was arrested in connection with the 'Green City' corruption case; he is the former Chairman of the Arambagh Municipality and a former State Secretary of the Trinamool Congress. His arrest in Kerala and subsequent transfer to the Arambagh police station sparked a massive commotion. Three individuals had previously been arrested in this case, bringing the total number of arrests to four.
Notably, Nandi had fled to another state and attempted to alter his appearance by shaving off his mustache, yet he could not escape. Ultimately, the former Arambagh Municipal Chairman, accused of corruption, was caught in the police net. When police brought him back to the area on Sunday, he faced intense public fury.
Shaving his mustache offered no protection; not only did the police bring him back from another state, but upon his return, he was met with eggs, ink, and physical blows. His shirt was torn off. This was the plight of Swapan Nandi—the former Chairman of Arambagh Municipality (Hooghly) and former Trinamool State Secretary—as he faced the wrath of the public on Sunday.
A few days ago, Nirmal Yadav, the Councilor of Ward No. 4 of Uluberia Municipality, was also arrested. Police from Bauria station apprehended him at his in-laws' residence in the Phuleswar area. He faces multiple allegations, including the vandalism of BJP workers' homes, assault, and molestation following the 2021 elections.
It is alleged that, at the time, the police—under the then-ruling Trinamool Congress—had refused to register complaints regarding these incidents. Following the political shift in 2026, those BJP workers filed a fresh complaint at the Bauria police station, leading to the arrest of Nirmal Yadav. Prabodh Sarkar, the Trinamool leader and Chairman of the Ashoknagar-Kalyangarh Municipality, has also been arrested; he is accused of illegally burning municipal documents. Police from the Ashoknagar station arrested him on Sunday night. Tensions flared during the arrest, with chants of "thief" directed at the Trinamool leader.
Meanwhile, Swapan Nandi, the former Trinamool Congress (TMC) Chairman of the town of Arambagh in Hooghly district, had plotted to flee abroad after destroying municipal records. The TMC leader is facing multiple allegations, including the misappropriation of funds from the 'Green City' project. The court has remanded him to 14 days of police custody in connection with the case.
Arguments presented in court revealed that the leader had planned to escape abroad via Kerala. However, he was apprehended by the Hooghly Rural Police before he could do so. Upon being produced at the Chinsurah court on Monday, he was ordered into police custody for 14 days.
Special Public Prosecutor Bibhas Chattopadhyay stated that after losing his chairmanship, Swapan Nandi had deleted all data from the municipality's computers. However, he noted that a significant portion of the data has since been recovered from Google Cloud.
Corruption amounting to ₹7.4 crore occurred in the Arambagh 'Green City' project. Solar panels were supposed to be installed in 44 schools; while some schools received them, many did not, yet the contractor allegedly received full payment. There are also allegations that the contract was awarded to a completely unqualified entity in exchange for money.
Preliminary police investigations revealed that the accused, Swapan Nandi, had planned to flee abroad from Kerala. The investigation uncovered a specific plan to escape to the Maldives. He had even altered his appearance by shaving off his moustache, which initially made it difficult for the police to track him down.
The current Chairman, Samir Bhandari, filed the complaint regarding corruption in the 'Green City' project, which led to the case being registered. Former Arambagh TMC Councilor Gautam Gangopadhyay alleged that Swapan Nandi engaged in massive corruption across all government projects. He further claimed that the then-MLA and MP of Arambagh were fully aware of these activities.
Swapan Pal, a member of the BJP state committee, remarked that Trinamool and corruption are synonymous. He alleged that they stole everything—from rice and tarpaulins to jobs—with involvement ranging from the panchayat level up to ministers, yet the police took no action at the time. The law is taking its course.
The arrested Swapan Nandi claims that the helipad at the Arambagh Medical College was constructed during his tenure and that he carried out various development projects in the area. He asserts that he has been framed as part of a conspiracy. He stated that he had gone to Kerala for medical treatment, not to flee.
