Ex-West Bengal minister arrested in tarpaulin misappropriation case

Former West Bengal minister Ujjal Biswas has been arrested in connection with an alleged case of misappropriation of Government tarpaulins, police said.

The development took place on Tuesday night, hours after he was heckled by protesters outside his residence in Nadia district over the matter.

Biswas, the former correctional department minister and a senior TMC leader, was arrested following an investigation into a case registered at Kotwali police station, and he would be produced before a court on Wednesday, an officer said. The arrest came after a day of high drama in Krishnanagar, where Biswas faced protests from local residents and BJP supporters over allegations that Government tarpaulins illegally stored at his residence were being shifted.

The controversy erupted in the afternoon when several tarpaulins were allegedly being loaded onto a goods vehicle parked outside Biswas’s house.

As the news spread, a crowd gathered outside the premises, accusing the former minister of illegally possessing Government relief materials. The protesters raised slogans and demanded immediate action against him.

The situation soon turned tense, with eggs reportedly being hurled at the former minister.

Biswas, however, dismissed the allegations and maintained that no misappropriation had taken place. As tension mounted, personnel from Kotwali police station reached the spot and escorted Biswas away from his residence.