Arrest of Former TMC MLAs Driver in Kolkata After Gun Discovery

Kolkata, September 29 (Daily Kiran) : Kolkata police arrested the driver of former Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Biswajit Das on Tuesday. This arrest followed the discovery of a homemade gun and live ammunition in a garden behind Das’s residence in North 24 Parganas district.

The driver, Keramat Mandal, was taken into custody just a day after Das himself was detained. Das was apprehended when weapons were found in his home and car.

Authorities reported that the new findings emerged after questioning Mandal. A team from the Gopalnagar police station conducted a search of Das’s property late Monday night, uncovering the gun and several rounds of ammunition.

Investigators noted that suspicions arose about Mandal after Das was taken to the police station. It was revealed that Mandal returned to Das’s house in the former MLA’s car, unlocked the door, and entered. Shortly after, he exited, raising the eyebrows of investigators who then interrogated him.

During questioning, police allege that Mandal admitted the gun and bullets were placed on the dashboard of Das’s car. He reportedly removed the weapons and discarded them in the garden before returning.

As a result, Mandal was arrested for illegal possession of firearms. Both he and Das were presented in the Bangaon Sub-Divisional Court on Tuesday, where police requested seven days of custody for further investigation.

Authorities are now looking into the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the weapons. They are also trying to ascertain the origin of the firearms and why they were in Das’s possession.

Das entered electoral politics with the TMC, winning the Bangaon North assembly seat in 2011. He retained this seat in 2016. Following a strong performance by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he switched his political allegiance and joined the BJP before the 2021 assembly elections.

He contested the 2021 elections from Bagdah on a BJP ticket, achieving victory. However, after meeting then-Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, he returned to the TMC and was given responsibility for the party’s organizational district in Bangaon.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Das ran against BJP‘s Shantanu Thakur for the Bangaon seat but lost. The TMC fielded him again in the 2026 assembly elections, but he was defeated by BJP candidate Ashok Kirtania.