Former Bengal minister and senior TMC leader Udayan Guha was arrested on Wednesday over his alleged involvement in "financial irregularities" linked to the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, police said.
Guha, a leader from the Cooch Behar district and a North Bengal Development minister in the erstwhile Mamata Banerjee cabinet, was arrested from an apartment at the Phoolbagan area of the metropolis, where he had been staying since he lost the Dinhata seat to the BJP in the 2026 assembly elections, they said.
"There was a complaint lodged against the former minister alleging his involvement in financial irregularities in connection with the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. There are other cases, too, against him, and action will accordingly be taken," an officer of the Cooch Behar District Police told PTI.
The complainant alleged that Guha has been siphoning money meant for the scheme since 2016, he said.
Guha has been booked under sections of the BNS, including cheating, criminal breach of trust and criminal conspiracy, the officer said.
Allegations have also been levelled against Guha over post-poll violence in 2021.
Guha, he added, was first taken to the Phoolbagan Police Station from where, following a basic round of questioning and completion of arrest formalities, the leader was being transported to Cooch Behar by road.
The former minister would be produced in court on Thursday, the officer said.
“I have no idea why they have arrested me. They will be able to best explain the reason behind this action,” Guha told reporters at a stopover during his transit to Cooch Behar.
A complainant against Guha at the Dinhata PS also alleged that the TMC leader had raised money from local businessmen, government employees and teachers in 2021, claiming it would be utilised for a child care initiative.
“Guha raised some Rs 30-35 crore for that project, but never implemented more than five per cent of what he promised to do,” he told TV channels, identifying himself as a businessman and stating that he registered his complaint against Guha on June 12.
“I was forced to donate Rs 25,000 for Guha’s project, but his men later gave me a money receipt for only Rs 10,000. When I tried to lodge a complaint about this in the police station, they picked me up and threatened me with dire consequences. I mustered the courage to file a fresh complaint against him since his party has been thrown out of power,” the complainant said. Guha, who jumped ship from the Forward Bloc to the TMC, represented the Dinhata seat from 2011 to 2021. He won the 2021 bypolls from the same constituency by a record margin of over 1.64 lakh votes.
He was, however, humbled by BJP’s Ajay Ray in the 2026 assembly elections by over 17,000 votes.
Guha was the fourth minister from the previous Mamata Banerjee-led regime in Bengal to have been arrested, after the Suvendu Adhikari-led BJP government assumed office following the poll results on May 4.
Earlier, former fire services minister Sujit Bose was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the alleged civic body recruitment scam in the state, and former correctional services minister Ujjwal Biswas was held by the Bengal Police under allegations of siphoning relief materials.
Dilip Mondal, the former minister of state for transport who had been on the run since police raided his house in Pailan in South 24 Parganas district, was arrested from Puri by a Special Task Force of the state police in connection with cases registered against him for allegedly threatening BJP workers from a public rally.
Senior TMC leader Saugata Roy responded to Guha’s arrest, stating he did not rule out “vindictive motives” of the current BJP dispensation.
“If he is found guilty, law will certainly take its own course. But, this government is vindictive and is arresting TMC leaders right, left and centre. I will not be surprised if this is latest arrest is a reflection of that attitude,” Roy said.
