CBI Arrests Birbhum Trinamool Strongman And Mamata's Key Aide Anubrata Mondal In Bangladesh Cattle Smuggling Case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today (August 11) arrested senior Bengal Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Anubrata Mondal from his Bolpur residence in connection with the ongoing investigation into the cattle smuggling case.

Earlier this morning, a team of CBI officials escorted by a huge contingent of central armed forces personnel reached the Bolpur residence of the Trinamool Congress strongman.

A team of CBI officials led by the agency's superintendent (anti- corruption branch), Rajeev Mishra, and the team of central armed forces personnel reached Bolpur late Wednesday (August 10).

CBI decided to arrest Mondal after he ignored ten consecutive summons from the CBI. The agency had summoned him on Tuesday to appear for interrogation by 11 am on Wednesday (August 10), but Mondal skipped it, citing ill health.

On August 3, the CBI conducted searches at 13 locations, including in Kolkata and Birbhum district, at the residence of two persons known to be close aides of Mondal as part of their investigation into the cattle smuggling case. The houses of Md Nazzibuddin alias Tulu Mondal, Abdul Karim Khan and Jiyaula Haque Sekh alias Mukto were searched.

The CBI took over the cattle smuggling case in September 2020. The CBI has already charge sheeted BSF Commandant Satish Kumar and six others, including Vinay Mishra, a close aide of TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee. Mishra is currently absconding.

The agency charge sheeted Kumar, the then Commandant, 36 Battalion BSF, Enamul Haque (said to be mastermind), Anarul Seikh, Golam Mustafa Taniya Sanyal, Badal Krishna Sanyal and Rashida Bibi for allegedly being part of criminal conspiracy to smuggle cattle across to Bangladesh,

Mondal is a trusted lieutenant of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and is credited to have played a key role in turning Birbhum into a party stronghold. Of the 11 Assembly seats in the district, the TMC swept 10. In 2019, it won both the Lok Sabha constituencies in the district (Birbhum and Bolpur).

Mondal, who enjoys close proximity to CM Banerjee and party heir apparent Abhishek Banerjee, is part of the 20-member TMC national working committee, the party's apex decision-making body.

A notorious local don, Mondal has been embroiled in several cases, including threatening people, murder and those related to sand, stone and cattle smuggling. He is said to wield complete control over local administration, including police and officials.

CM Banerjee is banking on Mondal to assuage the ire of potential land losers — many of them tribals — in a 3.4 lakh acre swathe of Birbhum, the world's second-largest coal block is located. The Deocha-Panchami coal block in Bengal's Birbhum district was allotted by the Union government to Bengal and has an estimated 2012 million tonnes of coal reserves.

Cash-starved Bengal, driven deep into the red by Banerjee's populism, is hoping to earn huge revenue from the coal that can be mined from the area. Mining can also generate many jobs, though mostly menial, for locals.