Former West Bengal Minister Udayan Guha Arrested in Kolkata

Former West Bengal minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Udayan Guha was arrested by the state police from his residence in the Phulbagan area of Kolkata on Wednesday afternoon. The arrest was carried out by a team of Cooch Behar police, who are investigating multiple cases registered in the district, sources said.

While the police have not yet made an official statement on the specific charges, it is understood that the cases include those related to the post-poll violence that shook West Bengal following the May 2021 assembly elections. Guha is being taken to Cooch Behar for questioning.

Udayan Guha, who served as the Minister for North Bengal Development in the Mamata Banerjee government, contested the 2021 state polls from the Cooch Behar assembly constituency but lost to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate by a margin of over 10,000 votes. After his defeat, he shifted his base to Kolkata and had been keeping a low public profile.

This is the third arrest of a former minister from the previous TMC regime since the BJP formed the government in West Bengal in 2021. Earlier, former food minister Jyotipriyo Mallick was arrested in connection with a ration distribution scam, and former education minister Partha Chatterjee was held in a teacher recruitment scam.

The post-poll violence in Bengal in 2021 had claimed several lives and left hundreds injured, triggering a political storm. Opposition parties, particularly the BJP, accused the TMC of unleashing a wave of violence against its supporters, while the TMC maintained that the clashes were a result of local disputes and provocations by the opposition. The Calcutta High Court later ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into select cases, while the state police continued to investigate others. It is not immediately clear if the cases against Guha fall under the court-monitored CBI investigation or are being handled solely by the state police.

Udayan Guha, aged 65, began his political career with the Indian National Congress and later joined the Trinamool Congress. He won the Cooch Behar assembly seat in 2016 and was appointed as the Minister of State for North Bengal Development in 2018. In 2020, he was elevated to cabinet rank. Known for his organisational influence in the Cooch Behar district, he was the TMC’s key face in the region until his defeat.

The Trinamool Congress party has not yet issued any formal reaction to Guha’s arrest. Legal observers point out that since the investigation is at an early stage, and no charge-sheet has been filed so far, the courts will determine the procedures regarding bail and further custody.

This arrest is likely to intensify the political debate over the handling of post-poll violence cases. The BJP has consistently demanded stringent action against TMC leaders allegedly involved in the violence, while the TMC has called the arrests politically motivated, aimed at targeting opposition leaders.

Police authorities said more details about the charges and the nature of the investigation would be disclosed after Guha is presented before a court in Cooch Behar. Additional security has been deployed in the area as a precautionary measure.

The case continues to develop.