Former Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate from Panihati Tirthankar Ghosh was remanded to six days’ police custody by the Barrackpore Sub-Divisional Court on Monday after being arrested in connection with multiple pending criminal cases.
According to police sources, officers of Khardah police station arrested Tirthankar Ghosh, son of former MLA Nirmal Ghosh, from Dakshineswar in the early hours of Monday after he had allegedly remained absconding for nearly two months following the Assembly election.
When he was produced before the Barrackpore court, a large crowd targeted the court premises, with some protesters allegedly hurling eggs at the accused and chasing him as he was escorted by police. The Barrackpore Police Commissionerate deployed a heavy security contingent around the court complex to prevent any untoward incident.
Police said Ghosh is facing allegations of inciting post-poll violence following the 2021 West Bengal Assembly election and involvement in the alleged armed extortion of a lottery winner at the gun point.
Investigators claim he and others forcibly took away a substantial amount of money from the lottery winner at gunpoint. The cases have been under investigation for some time.
Tirthankar Ghosh, popularly known as “Puchida” in Panihati, entered politics under the guidance of his father, veteran TMC leader Nirmal Ghosh, who earlier represented the Panihati Assembly constituency several times and was considered an influential political figure in the area.
However, both father and son have faced several allegations over the years, including accusations related to land grabbing, illegal filling of water bodies and political intimidation. No court has pronounced them guilty in these cases.
In the 2026 Assembly election, the TMC fielded Tirthankar Ghosh from Panihati in place of his father. He was defeated by BJP candidate Ratna Debnath, the mother of the RG Kar hospital rape and murder victim. Following the election, police reportedly intensified investigations into several pending cases involving the father-son duo.