A former Chairman-in-Council member and councillor of the South Dum Dum Municipality, Pradip Majumdar, was arrested in connection with an old extortion case and sent to four days of police custody by a Barrackpore court on Thursday, according to a report by Bartaman Patrika. On the same day, former Dum Dum municipal vice-chairman Barun Natta was brought to Nagerbazar police station for questioning in another extortion-related case.
Majumdar surrendered before the Barrackpore court seeking bail, but police opposed the request after receiving information about his appearance. The court accepted the police request and ordered four days of police custody. Police said they had been searching for Majumdar for a long time in connection with the case and that he had been absconding.
According to the report, an extortion complaint had been filed against Majumdar around two months ago. Police said that he had remained unavailable since then and that his mobile phone had also been switched off. Investigators are expected to question him in the extortion case and other cases, the report said.
Majumdar has held elected and municipal responsibilities in South Dum Dum for several terms. He was elected councillor from Ward 4 in the 2009 municipal election and became a Chairman-in-Council member. In the 2015 municipal election, he won from Ward 3 and continued as a councillor and Chairman-in-Council member. He was elected again from Ward 4 in the 2023 municipal election and remained a councillor after the change in political control in the area.
The developments place allegations involving current and former municipal representatives at the centre of a police investigation. The case also highlights the role of the criminal justice process in examining allegations linked to local political and civic networks. The available report does not establish the outcome of the allegations, and Majumdar’s arrest and police custody do not by themselves determine guilt.
Barun Natta had earlier been arrested by Dum Dum police in an extortion case and had spent time in police and judicial custody before obtaining bail, according to the report. On Thursday evening, Nagerbazar police brought him to the station for questioning in connection with an extortion case. Police said he had been called for questioning and that legal action could follow if his answers were not considered satisfactory.
The two developments occurred on the same day and generated concern in the Dum Dum area. The immediate next steps are Majumdar’s police-custody interrogation and the questioning of Natta by Nagerbazar police. Further legal action will depend on the investigation and the decisions of the relevant authorities and court.
