A special CBI court judge has alleged that he has received a letter threatening to implicate his family in drug cases if he did not grant bail to Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Anubrata Mondal.
The Asansol Special CBI court judge Rajesh Chakraborty alleged that the letter he received was signed by one Bappa Chatterjee.
Mondal the Trinamool Congress’ Birbhum District President was arrested last week in a 2020 cattle smuggling case.
The special court judge said the letter warned that if Mondal “was not released his family members would be implicated in the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act case with commercial quantity,” the judge’s letter read.
The judge also sought the attention of the district judge and also brought it to the notice of the registrar-general of the Calcutta High Court.
After his arrest, Mondal, a close associate of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was sent to CBI custody till August 24.
Mondal was summoned several times by the CBI but he evaded appearing citing health issues. He was finally arrested on August 11 from his residence in Bolpur in Birbhum district.
The arrest also led to a war of words between the BJP and the TMC. Finance Minister of West Bengal Chandrima Bhattacharya had alleged that the CBI summons to Mondal was “political vendetta.” BJP leaders have repeatedly accused the TMC regime of fostering corruption.
The CBI had on September 21, 2020, arrested a former Border Security Force (BSF) Commandant, in connection with an illegal cattle smuggling case across the Indo-Bangladesh border. Anubrata Mondal’s name came under the CBI scanner during the investigation of the case, the agency had claimed. (ANI)