CBI summons Anubrata Mandal at its office today

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing cattle and coal smuggling cases in West Bengal, has sent a summon to Trinamool Congress strongman Anubrata Mondal to be present at the agency office by 5.30 pm on Saturday.

Kolkata: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is probing cattle and coal smuggling cases in West Bengal, has sent a summon to Trinamool Congress strongman Anubrata Mondal to be present at the agency office by 5.30 pm on Saturday. A senior CBI official from Kolkata, on condition of anonymity, said that the summon has been delivered to Mondal's residence at Chinar Park on Saturday noon asking him to be present at the office of the central agency at Nizam Palace in central Kolkata.

On late Friday evening, Mondal had returned to his residence after spending 17 days at the state-run SSKM Medical College and Hospital, where he was admitted on April 6. The medical board of the hospital has suggested four-week complete bed-rest for Mondal, after which he will have to attend another round of check-up. Till this report was filed, there was no communication either from Mondal or any of his counsels on what will be their next course of action following the urgent summon from CBI.

All eyes now are on Nizam Place to see whether Mondal turns up. This is the sixth notice that the CBI has sent to the Trinamool leader on this count. The CBI source said that the decision to call Mondal for questioning immediately was taken following discussions with the top officials at the CBI Directorate in New Delhi.

"We were keeping both the options open of either calling him to CBI office or going to his residence to question him there. But our senior officers in Delhi instructed us to call him today only," the CBI source said. Mondal was supposed to appear for questioning at the CBI office on April 6. On April 5, he had reached Kolkata from his ancestral residence at Bolpur in Birbhum district.

On the morning of April 6, he had even started from his residence, apparently heading for the CBI office. However, at the last moment he changed his route and reached the SSKM. After initial check-up, he was admitted to the hospital's Woodburn Ward, meant for the VVIPs.

IANS