Kolkata, June 14 (IANS) The Trinamool Congress leadership on Saturday gave a final warning to party strongman and its former party district president in Birbhum, Anubrata Mondal, about his public behaviour that became a matter of “embarrassment” for the top brass of the ruling party in West Bengal.

Recently, an audio clip went viral where Mondal was heard threatening a police officer from the district to rape his mother and wife. Although initially Mondal claimed that the audio clip was AI-generated, later he admitted that he was the one whose voice was heard in the audio clip of giving that nasty threat to the police officer.

On Saturday, after Mondal came to Kolkata to attend an internal party meeting for finalising the preparation blueprint for the annual “Martyrs’ Day” programme of Trinamool Congress on July 21, the state party president Subrata Bakshi and Bengal power minister Arup Biswas met Mondal separately at Trinamool Congress state headquarters here.

“Bakshi issued the final note of caution to Mondal to be extremely careful of his public behaviour in the future. Mondal has also been cautioned that repetitions of instances like that of the audio clip would not be tolerated in future,” confirmed a member of the state Cabinet who was aware of the developments in the meeting.

Also present at the meeting with Mondal was another heavyweight Trinamool Congress leader from Birbhum, Kajal Sheikh, who is often considered Mondal’s “arch-rival” within the party in the district.

“Both Mondal and Sheikh were directed by Bakshi to set aside their personal differences and work together before the crucial West Bengal assembly elections scheduled next year,” said the state Cabinet member.

The audio clip had posed immense embarrassment for Trinamool Congress. Even the National Commission of Women (NCW) had sent two communications to the state director general of police Rajeev Kumar, accusing the police of being reluctant to take appropriate legal action against Mondal.

To recall, Mondal was arrested in August 2022 by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the multi-crore cattle-smuggling case in West Bengal.

Later, he was also arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

After spending over two years in Tihar Jail in Delhi, Mondal was released on bail recently, following which he returned to his house in Bolpur of Birbhum district.

In the meantime, CBI officials too have started a fresh investigation to find out whether any witness in the cattle smuggling case has been similarly intimidated either by Mondal or any of his associates to change their statements given to the central agency in the case.

–IANS

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