A panchayat member of Trinamul was reported to have gone missing from Jalpaiguri district since Thursday. His family members filed a complaint with the police on Friday, prompting the latter to arrest two of his friends, who include another elected representative of Trinamul with whom he had left home on Thursday to attend a wedding.

Sources said Jagatpal Baraik, 54, and a resident of the Nagaisuree tea estate in Matiali block of the district, left his home with two of his friends on Thursday to attend the wedding. Baraik is also a Trinamul member of Indong-Matiali panchayat.

“His friends returned to their respective homes but he went missing. Also, the same night (Thursday), his cell phone went out of reach. This made his wife file a complaint with us on Friday,” said a police officer.

Police have initiated a probe. His friends Subhash Baraik and Pawan Baraik were subsequently arrested. Subhash is a Trinamul member of Matiali panchayat samiti. On Saturday morning, a group of angry residents from Nagaisuree walked up to the Matiali police station. There, they demonstrated demanding that the police find Jagatpal at the earliest.

“We are probing the case of the missing panchayat leader. Both of the arrested persons would be interrogated to gather information,” a police officer said.