Debasish Pramanik has become the first Trinamul Congress leader to be arrested on land grab charges after Mamata Banerjee on Monday ordered a crackdown on encroachments and illegal constructions in urban areas across the state.

Pramanik is a member of the Jalpaiguri zilla parishad and the president of the Dabgram-Fulbari organisational block of Trinamul. Dabgram-Fulbari is an Assembly segment that covers some parts of Siliguri and adjoining areas of Jalpaiguri district.

The Trinamul leader and two of his associates, who were also arrested, were accused of trying to forcibly take over a parcel of land belonging to a woman in Rajganj block of Jalpaiguri district.

Pramanik is a resident of Fulbari in Siliguri.

On Thursday, the chief minister referred to Pramanik's arrest while she was attending a meeting with ministers, officials and representatives of hawkers’ associations at Nabanna.

“The block (TMC) president of Dabgram (Fulbari) has been arrested. This is because he and some others were involved in encroaching on government land and were selling those for two-three lakh rupees. All such plots will not get mutation papers and valid registration,” she said.

Mamata has also said there are reports of illegal transfer of some government plots while hinting that the Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA) is under her scanner.

“You should get all necessary documents from the SJDA to find out how many parcels of government land were transferred in the past seven years. There should be an inspection to find out how many plots have been legally transferred and how many have been transferred illegally,” said the chief minister.

Sources in Siliguri Metropolitan Police said while they had arrested Pramanik, along with Bimal Roy and Mohammad Kalam, searches were on to nab Gautam Goswami. Goswami, the TMC vice-president of the Dabgram-Fulbari block, is also a member of the SJDA.

According to police sources, on June 26, Julapi Roy, a resident of Paglupara in Rajganj block, had filed a complaint at NJP police station that Pramanik, Goswami and their associates were trying to grab her land of close to three decimals in Dabgram.

“She alleged that they had forged documents and were forcing her to hand over the land to them. They even reached her land and were measuring it. When Julapi reached there and objected, they attacked her,” said a source.

Charges under 447 (criminal trespassing), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 384 (extortion), 307 (attempt to murder), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC have been brought against Pramanik, Goswami and five others.

On Thursday, the trio were produced in the chief judicial magistrate’s court in Jalpaiguri and remanded in police custody for seven days.