Former Bidhannagar Mayor and TMC leader Sabyasachi Dutta was arrested over allegations of demanding Rs 1 crore from a businessman. His arrest is part of a series of high-profile detentions of political figures in West Bengal.
Former Mayor of Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, Sabyasachi Dutta, was arrested by Bidhannagar North Police over allegations of demanding Rs one crore from a businessman and issuing threats, officials said on Tuesday. Dutta is scheduled to be produced before the Bidhannagar Court later in the day.
Dutta had a shifting political career in West Bengal, starting with the Congress, later joining TMC, where he became the first Mayor of Bidhannagar, switching to BJP in 2019, and returning to TMC in 2021. He has also served as MLA from Rajarhat New Town and contested the recent 2026 Assembly elections from Barasat. He lost to the BJP’s Sankar Chatterjee by a margin of 34,558 votes.
Wave of Arrests Hits West Bengal Politics
The arrest comes amid a series of high-profile detentions of political figures in West Bengal in recent weeks in connection with various cases being probed by law enforcement agencies. Earlier, former Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Jahangir Khan was arrested by the West Bengal Special Task Force (STF) in a joint operation with Darjeeling Police from Panitanki Bazar in a separate case linked to multiple charges under Falta Police Station limits.
Following Khan’s arrest, West Bengal Minister Agnimitra Paul had said that those accused of wrongdoing would not be spared. “Whether he is Pushpa or anyone else, those who have tortured and oppressed the people of Bengal have never been spared,” she said.
TMC leader Tilak Kumar Chakraborty was earlier arrested in connection with an alleged job fraud case in Haldia, Purba Medinipur In a separate case, Kolkata Police arrested TMC leader Paritosh Dutta from Bardhaman in connection with the arms case linked to Surendranath College, Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma confirmed.
Additionally, Panchayat officer and TMC leader Rajib Banerjee was arrested from Birbhum in connection with an alleged rice ration sale case. Authorities said investigations in all cases are ongoing.
TMC Faces Internal Split
These developments come amidst a dramatic split in the TMC legislature party, just days after the party lost power in West Bengal following 15 years in government. Nearly 20 Trinamool Congress (TMC) Members of Parliament have formally signalled their desire to break away from their party’s current political trajectory and align with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
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