Two Congress Leaders Arrested in Nandigram Before By-Election, Manik Fakir Taken to Lalbazar

**Nandigram:** Allegations have surfaced that police arrested two Congress leaders before the campaign for the Nandigram assembly by-election. The Congress claims that writer and social worker Manik Fakir and the leader of the Matua community, Congress leader Sukriti Ranjan Biswas, were taken from a guest house in Chandipur, East Medinipur, to Nandigram police station.

It has been reported that they were supposed to campaign for Congress candidate Milan Pradhan in the Nandigram by-election. The Congress alleges that police detained them while they were leaving the guest house in the morning. Initially, both were taken to Nandigram police station.

Later, while Sukriti Ranjan Biswas was released, it has been reported that Manik Fakir was taken to Lalbazar. It is being claimed that he was detained in connection with an old case from 2007. However, the police have not yet released detailed information about the specific case under which he was arrested.

The incident has sparked political tension. The Congress has protested against the police's actions. Manik Fakir claims that this action was taken to obstruct the Congress campaign in Nandigram.

It is noteworthy that before the Nandigram by-election, political and legal controversies have already arisen surrounding the arrest of Congress candidate Milan Pradhan in an old case from 2007. Multiple cases from 2007 are mentioned in court documents.

However, the specific reasons for the arrest of Manik Fakir and Sukriti Ranjan Biswas and the circumstances surrounding his transfer to Lalbazar have not yet been officially stated by the police. Therefore, nothing can be said definitively about the reasons for the arrest until the investigating agency's statement is released.