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Cattle smuggling case: TMC’s Anubrata skips CBI summons, visits hospital

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THE TMC’s Birbhum district president Anubrata Mondal on Monday evaded the CBI’s summons in connection with a cattle smuggling case on “medical ground.” Mondal went to SSKM Hospital in Kolkata for a check-up. According to sources, a room had been prepared for Mondal as he was likely to be hospitalised but after a routine check-up, doctors felt that there was no need for his hospitalisation.

According to hospital sources, Anubrata Mondal suffers from chronic ailments for which he has been asked by the hospital to visit the hospital every 15 days. Mondal wasn’t given any specific date [for check-up] during his previous visit to SSKM but he apparently decided to visit the hospital on Monday.

“He was examined by the doctors. He was complaining of cough, neck pain etc. He was given proper advice but was not hospitalised since it isn’t required at the moment,” said an official at SSKM Hospital. Mondal reached the hospital around 12:30 pm and left around 3:30 pm. According to sources, Mondal informed the central agency through email that he was skipping the summons. On Sunday, his lawyer said that Mondal was “unwell” and will visit Kolkata from Birbhum for treatment on Monday. According to CBI sources, Mondal will be summoned again.

The Opposition parties, meanwhile, have questioned Mondal’s choice of date for a health check-up. “Every time a central agency summons TMC leaders, they run to hospital. Mondal must be too healthy or else he could have easily been hospitalised,” said a BJP leader who did not wish to be named.

The TMC, however, countered the BJP saying the saffron party was “politicising the matter unnecessarily.”

“If someone is not well, he will go to hospital for treatment. What is so unusual about it? If the CBI wants to, they can call him [Mondal] again. They are unnecessarily politicising this,” said TMC leader Joy Prakash Majumdar.

“He [Mondal] went to hospital just to evade the central agency’s summons. Everyone knows how TMC leaders are directly involved in cattle smuggling for years now,” alleged leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Suvendhu Adhikari.

Meanwhile, the CBI has filed a supplementary chargesheet in connection with the cattle smuggling case, naming three persons.

“Vikas Mishra (brother of Vinay Mishra) and Saigal Hussain ( bodyguard of Anubrata ) and one more persons are named in the chargesheet,” said a CBI official. The chargesheet was filed in Asansol Court Monday. Out of the three, Saigal Hussain and Vikash Mishra are in judicial custody.

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