On Thursday The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested a senior Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal in the alleged cattle smuggling scam. Mondal is currently serving as TMC’s Birbhum district president and member of the party’s national working committee.
Who is Anubrata Mondal?
Anubrata Mandal was born in 1960 in Birbhum district of West Bengal and he is known for being one of the most trusted aides of Mamta Banerjeee.
The most unusual thing about Mandal is despite having so much political clout, he has never contested any election. He has always managed the party from behind the scenes. He holds such power that during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, and 2016 and 2021 Assembly elections, The Election Commission has kept him under surveillance so that he doesn’t try to influence the elections.
Mandal is pretty famous for his proactive speeches, during 2013 panchayat elections, he openly directed the workers of Trinamool to hurl bombs at houses of independent candidates and despite that no serious action was taken against him.
He is the one who popularised the political slogan “Khela hobe” which dominated the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections.
ANI report:
#WATCH | West Bengal: Anger in people as they show shoes, shout slogans of 'chor, chor' during the production of TMC Birbhum district president Anubrata Mondal in a special CBI court of Asansol. Mondal had been arrested by the CBI in a cattle smuggling case. https://t.co/iE0Ui4xTQ6 pic.twitter.com/Z8yqQWI3JE
— ANI (@ANI) August 11, 2022
What is the alleged Cattle Scam?
According to the CBI, Anubrata Mandal had direct involvement in the cattle smuggling scam and he was in direct contact with Enamul Haque who is the prime accused in this case.
The cattle scam first came to light in the year 2018, whenJD Mathew, who served as BSF commandant in Bengal, was booked in Kerala. And in the year 2021 CBI registered complaint against six people including Satish Kumar, a BSF commandant in 2016 and 2017, the kingpin Enamul Haque and smugglers Anarul Sheikh, Md Gulam Mustafa, Anarul Sheikh, and Md Golam Mustafa.
The Cattle scam involved smuggling of thousands of cattle from West Bengal to neighbouring country Bangladesh through the West Bengal border. The bodyguard of Mandal, Saigal Hossain in June was booked for interrogation related to the cattle smuggling case.
According to the CBI Saigal Hossain did not provide any satisfactory answers but his Records showed several calls between Enamul Haque and Hossian. And these records showed that Anubrata Mandal was in direct contact with Enamul Haque.
