The TMC leader had not attended his scheduled appearance before the central probe agency twice in the last few days.
The TMC leader had not attended his scheduled appearance before the central probe agency twice in the last few days.
The Central Bureau of Investigation on August 11, 2022 arrested Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal in a cross-border cattle smuggling case. The arrest came after Mr. Mandal, a prominent TMC leader issued several summons By agency including two in the past week.
On Thursday, a team of CBI officers along with several CRPF personnel reached Mr. Mandal’s house in Bolpur, Birbhum. They entered the house and took away the TMC leader. “The said accused were continuously evading CBI summons for a long time and were not cooperating in the CBI investigation of the case,” the CBI said in a press statement. The TMC leader was produced before a court in Asansol, which sent him to CBI custody till August 20. Protests took place outside the CBI court in Asansol, where supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Left were seen protesting shoulder to shoulder.
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Mr Mandal was asked to appear before the CBI on August 8 and 10, but the TMC leader dropped the summons. On August 8, Mr. Mandal tried to get admission at the state-run SSKM Hospital in Kolkata, but doctors said he did not need to be admitted to the hospital. He appeared only once on May 19 this year out of 10 times the TMC leader was summoned in the case.
Responding to the arrest, the TMC leadership said that the party has zero tolerance towards corruption but raised questions on the impartiality of central investigative agencies. Mr Mandal’s arrest comes as a major embarrassment for the party and the TMC leadership does not put its weight behind the party’s key organizer in South Bengal. However, the party has called for a protest against the central agencies on Friday.
no stranger to controversy
Mr Mandal, a prominent TMC leader and has been instrumental in establishing the party’s dominance in Birbhum and adjoining districts. He has been no stranger to controversies and is often accused of violence and political killings of supporters of opposition parties. Mr Mandal also made headlines for his public statements like “throwing bombs at police” and “khela hobe (the game is on)” ahead of the 2021 assembly elections in the state.
The cattle smuggling case pertains to the smuggling of cattle through cattle markets in Birbhum through the Indo-Bangladesh border. CBI has registered an FIR in the case on September 21, 2020 Chargesheet filed in the case, last time chargesheet was filed on Monday (August 8, 2022). In the charge sheet, the security officer of Mr. Mandal, Sehgal Hussain has been made an accused. Mr. Hussain has been arrested in the case and remains behind bars. Other accused named in the chargesheet include former BSF commandant Satish Kumar, businessman Emanul Haque. , Former Trinamool leader Binya Mishra and owner of a cattle haat in Birbhum Abdul Latif.
“It was also alleged that the accused persons were organizing and conserving large-scale illegal animal smuggling in the neighboring country and collecting huge money from other persons. It was also learned that the accused procured a large number of cattle from Ilambazar Pashuhat and ensured safe passage for the transportation of cattle across the international border,” the CBI press statement said.
The arrest of Anubrata Mondal comes after the arrest of former party veteran Partha Chatterjee by the Enforcement Directorate in the School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment scam. Mr Chatterjee and his aide Arpita Mukherjee, from whose house ₹50 crore was recovered, have been behind bars since July 23. On Wednesday, the CBI arrested two SSC officials in the scam.
ED summons Bengal IPS officers
Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate, which is probing the coal smuggling case, has summoned eight IPS officers in Delhi in connection with the case. The IPS officer posted in the state’s coal bearing South Western region has been asked to appear in the last week of August. A few days ago, Kolkata Police has summoned the Deputy Director of ED in connection with the arrest of Jharkhand’s lawyer.