TMC’s Anubrata Mondal gets anticipatory bail in case for abusing cop’s family

Anubrata Mondal came to court to sign some legal papers but left before the hearing started, a lawyer said. Mondal got the arrest shield after an hour-long hearing

KOLKATA: A court in West Bengal’s Birbhum district granted anticipatory bail to Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Anubrata Mondal on Monday in the May 30 case in which he is accused of abusing a police inspector and the latter’s wife and mother over the phone.

TMC leader Anubrata Mondal appeared before police officers on June 5 in connection with a case related to the alleged use of derogatory and abusive language by him during a telephonic conversation with a police officer, at Bolpur in Birbhum (PTI FILE)

“The Bolpur court granted anticipatory bail after an hour-long hearing, as the police have not filed charges yet. Mondal came to court to sign some legal papers but left before the hearing started,” a lawyer who was present during the proceedings said, requesting anonymity.

Neither the TMC nor Mondal commented on the court order.

Mondal, a prime accused in the cattle smuggling case, was released on bail in September last year following a two-year judicial custody at Delhi’s Tihar jail. His daughter, too, was arrested and lodged at Tihar.

A first information report was lodged by the Birbhum district police on May 30, hours after the audio clip of a telephonic conversation, in which Mondal allegedly abused Liton Haldar, the inspector-in-charge of Bolpur police station, and the latter’s wife and mother, went viral on social media. It was widely circulated by the opposition parties.

Superintendent of police Amandeep told reporters on May 30 that Haldar filed a complaint and an investigation would take place. Mondal, however, was not arrested while Haldar was taken off duty.

The National Commission for Women took suo motu cognisance of the incident and twice summoned Amamdeep and some other officers to Delhi.

Mondal’s Y-category security cover, which was withdrawn after the audio clip surfaced, was restored after party chief and chief minister Mamata Banerjee met Mondal during her Birbhum tour from July 27 to 29.

Mondal was president of the TMC’s Birbhum unit for around 20 years but was dropped in May when the TMC formed a nine-member core committee for Birbhum. Mondal, who was initially inducted as a member of this committee, was promoted as its convenor after his meeting with Banerjee.