Who is Anubrata Mondal, a close aide of Mamata Banerjee now in CBI net?
According to a report by news agency PTI, Mondal had been served a notice by the CBI under Section 41 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) before arresting him on charges of non-cooperation in the probe.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday arrested senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Anubrata Mondal, hours after he was detained from his Bolpur residence in West Bengal. The TMC leader, known as a vocal loyalist of party supremo Mamata Banerjee, was held in connection with a cattle smuggling case.
According to a report by news agency PTI, Mondal had been served a notice by the CBI under Section 41 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) before arresting him on charges of non-cooperation in the probe.
"We have arrested him for non-cooperation in the investigation into the cattle smuggling case. We have found Mondal's direct involvement in the scam. We will question him today and take necessary action as per law," PTI quoted a CBI official as saying.
Who is Mondal?
Mondal (62), who is presently the TMC's Birbhum district president and member of the party's national working committee, rose to prominence in the 11 years of the TMC regime in Bengal, mostly for his audacious statements and browbeating.
His political journey started in the early nineties, when a local youth Congress leader of Birbhum first noticed his leadership and organisational abilities. He then took Mondal to Banerjee, who was then a rising star of Bengal politics and the president of the state Youth Congress.
In 1998, Mondal along with a handful of Congress leaders walked out of the grand old party under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee. They then founded the TMC.
In 2000, Mondal was appointed TMC's Birbhum district president, during which he had played a significant role in expanding the party's base in the erstwhile-Left citadel.
Mondal' stature as a politician rose further when TMC came to power in 2011. He further shot to limelight during the 2013 panchayat poll campaign, when during a public meeting, he asked his supporters to burn down houses of political opponents and dissidents and hurl bombs at police if they tried to stop the arson, according to news agency PTI.
While the comments drew sharp condemnation from Opposition parties, Banerjee failed to criticise Mondal explicitly, instead blamed the media for neglecting his medical condition of hypoxia, trying to make light of his remark.
Mondal’s strong-arm tactics were on full display during the 2014 Lok Sabha and 2016 Assembly polls, with the Election Commission putting him under close watch. The TMC swept both the elections in the district amid allegations of malpractices.
A man of controversies
Few years ago, a video had gone viral in which Mondal can be seen threatening a senior police officer and administrative officials with arson and violence if his demands were not met within an hour.
During the 2018 panchayat polls, he was accused by local Opposition leaders of not allowing them to file nominations. Subsequently, the party won the three-tier election in Birbhum without a contest.
Mondal also figured in last year's post-poll violence allegations, presently being probed by the CBI.
His name had cropped up during investigation into the Bogtui killings in March this year, when eight people were burnt alive following a rivalry between two groups in Birbhum district.
The CBI move on Mondal comes close on the heels of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arresting now-suspended party leader and former Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee in a school jobs scam.
(With agency inputs)
