Tarakeswar Municipality ex-chief Uttam Kundu arrested after weeks on the run
Synopsis
Uttam Kundu, the former Tarakeswar Municipality chairman and a leading figure in the TMC's rebel faction, was caught hiding in a Kolkata hideout after weeks on the run — his arrest the latest in a string of post-election corruption cases targeting TMC-linked leaders in West Bengal following the party's landslide defeat.
Key Takeaways
Uttam Kundu , former chairman of Tarakeswar Municipality , was arrested by Hooghly Rural District Police on 20 August from a hideout in Kolkata .
He faces charges of extorting ₹40 lakh from businessman Rajesh Agarwal , forcibly occupying a flat, and illegal land-grabbing.
The FIR was filed after the West Bengal Assembly elections , in which the Trinamool Congress (TMC) suffered a landslide defeat.
Kundu is a member of the rebel TMC faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee and serves as its president in the Arambagh organisational district.
He is scheduled to appear before a district court in Hooghly on Thursday.
Uttam Kundu, the former chairman of Tarakeswar Municipality in West Bengal, was arrested by the Hooghly Rural District Police on 20 August after spending weeks as a fugitive, officials confirmed on Thursday. Kundu, who belongs to the rebel faction of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) led by Ritabrata Banerjee, faces charges of corruption, extortion, and illegal land-grabbing.
How the Arrest Unfolded
Acting on a tip from their sources, a team from the Hooghly Rural District Police moved to Kolkata late on Wednesday night and tracked Kundu to a hideout in the city. He was arrested and is scheduled to be produced before a district court in Hooghly later on Thursday. Officials did not disclose the exact location of the hideout.
Key Charges Against Kundu
According to a state police officer, Kundu is accused of extorting ₹40 lakh from Rajesh Agarwal, a Kolkata-based businessman, during the previous Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government. He also faces allegations of forcibly occupying an under-construction flat and involvement in illegal land-grabbing. An FIR was registered against him by the Hooghly Rural District Police following a complaint filed by Agarwal after the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections, in which the TMC suffered a landslide defeat. Kundu had been absconding since the FIR was lodged.
Kundu's Political Journey
Kundu was at one point the president of the TMC's trade union wing, the Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress (INTTUC), when Ritabrata Banerjee served as its state president. After the Assembly polls triggered a split within the TMC — one faction retaining loyalty to former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the other aligning with Ritabrata Banerjee — Kundu joined the rebel camp. He was subsequently appointed president of the rebel faction in the Arambagh organisational district.
A Divided Loyalty
Despite his formal alignment with the rebel faction, Kundu reportedly maintained that he still regarded Mamata Banerjee as his supreme leader — a position that underscores the fluid and often contradictory allegiances that have marked the post-election fracturing of the TMC. This comes amid a broader wave of criminal cases being registered against TMC-linked figures in the aftermath of the party's electoral rout, signalling a significant shift in West Bengal's political dynamics.
Kundu's court appearance on Thursday will be closely watched as the first formal legal step in a case that implicates both political corruption and post-election accountability in the state.
Point of View
Municipal-level TMC figures operated with near-impunity; the party's electoral collapse appears to have punctured that shield. What is notable is that the FIR was filed only after the TMC's defeat — raising legitimate questions about whether law enforcement in the state is genuinely independent or simply realigning with the new political reality. The rebel faction angle adds another layer: Kundu's arrest could as easily serve factional interests as it does justice.
NationPress
20 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Uttam Kundu and why was he arrested?
Uttam Kundu is the former chairman of Tarakeswar Municipality in West Bengal and a leader in the rebel Trinamool Congress faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee. He was arrested on 20 August by Hooghly Rural District Police on charges including extortion of ₹40 lakh, corruption, forcible flat occupation, and illegal land-grabbing.
Where was Uttam Kundu found?
Kundu was traced to a hideout in Kolkata by a Hooghly Rural District Police team that acted on a tip from their sources late on Wednesday night. He had been absconding since an FIR was registered against him.
What triggered the FIR against Kundu?
The FIR was filed following a complaint by Kolkata-based businessman Rajesh Agarwal, who alleged that Kundu extorted ₹40 lakh from him during the previous Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government. The complaint was lodged after the West Bengal Assembly elections.
What is Kundu's connection to the TMC rebel faction?
Kundu was previously president of the TMC's trade union wing INTTUC. After the Assembly polls split the TMC into two factions, he joined the rebel group led by Ritabrata Banerjee and was made its president in the Arambagh organisational district, though he reportedly still considers Mamata Banerjee his supreme leader.
What happens next in Kundu's case?
Kundu is to be produced before a district court in Hooghly on Thursday, 20 August — his first formal court appearance since the arrest. The case is expected to proceed through the Hooghly district judiciary.
