Archive · 15 Aug 2026
Ex-TMC pradhan Sraban Kumar Das arrested for contractor extortion
A man named Sraban Kumar Das used to be the head of a village council, called a panchayat, in Malda district.
He was a member of a political group called the Trinamool Congress.
Police say he took money from contractors by promising them government work.
These contractors paid him hoping to get contracts for building jobs.
But many of them say they never got the work that was promised.
One contractor, Wasim Akram, said he paid about 2.20 lakh rupees and still got nothing.
When the contractors asked for their money back, Das is accused of threatening them.
The police arrested him, presented him in court in Chanchal, and the court sent him to police custody.
Das also faces accusations of taking other people's land.
Leaders from different political parties have different opinions about the case.
Former Trinamool Congress panchayat head Sraban Kumar Das was arrested on Thursday night in Malda district for allegedly extorting contractors.
Das served as pradhan of the Trinamool-run Samsi panchayat in Ratua-I block from 2018 to 2023.
He allegedly collected money from contractors by promising them government contracts and threatened those who demanded refunds.
Complainant Wasim Akram said he paid ₹2.20 lakh as 'cut money' but was never awarded the promised work.
Das was produced in court in Chanchal on Friday and remanded to police custody; he also faces allegations of land grabbing.
- Who
- Sraban Kumar Das, former Trinamool Congress panchayat head (pradhan) of Samsi panchayat in Ratua-I block, Malda district.
- What
- Arrested for allegedly extorting money from contractors by promising them government contracts through the panchayat; he also faces allegations of land grabbing.
- When
- Arrested on a Thursday night and produced in court in Chanchal the following Friday, where he was remanded to police custody.
- Where
- Malda district, at the Samsi panchayat in Ratua-I block; produced in court in Chanchal.
- Why
- He allegedly took money from contractors in exchange for promised panchayat government work, failed to deliver the contracts, and allegedly threatened complainants who demanded refunds.
TMC Response
BJP Allegations
Scope of wrongdoing
TMC Response
TMC MLA from Ratua, Samar Mukherjee, said he was not aware of the matter, treating it as an individual case rather than a party issue.
BJP Allegations
BJP's Snehangshu Bhattacharya alleged Das looted crores through extortion, pond grabbing and land grabbing during Trinamool's rule, framing it as part of a broader pattern under TMC governance.
Political accountability
TMC Response
The TMC side has not commented on the substance of the allegations, with its MLA distancing himself from knowledge of the case.
BJP Allegations
The BJP official directly blamed Trinamool rule for the alleged corruption, saying such behaviour happens under the party's administration.
- Arrested
- Sraban Kumar Das
- Political affiliation
- Trinamool Congress
- Former post
- Panchayat head (pradhan), Samsi panchayat, Ratua-I block
- Tenure
- 2018-2023
- Complainant
- Wasim Akram
- Alleged 'cut money' paid
- ₹2.20 lakh
- Custody status
- Remanded to police custody by Chanchal court
- Other allegations
- Land grabbing