Is Police Inspector Liton Halder Being Targeted After Anubrata Mondal's Abuse?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Inspector Liton Halder transferred to Jalpaiguri.
- Controversy arises over alleged political motivations.
- No action taken against Anubrata Mondal despite abusive remarks.
- Mondal seeks bail and is granted without police objections.
- Concerns about law enforcement accountability in West Bengal.
Kolkata, Nov 27 (NationPress) A new controversy has erupted in West Bengal as the inspector from Birbhum District Police, who faced verbal abuse earlier this year from Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal, has been reassigned to a remote district by the state police directorate. The inspector, Liton Halder, previously the inspector-in-charge at Bolpur Police Station, has been moved to Jalpaiguri in North Bengal, taking on a less prominent role as the inspector of the district intelligence branch (DIB).
This decision has raised eyebrows, with opposition parties asserting that Halder's transfer was a deliberate act. Meanwhile, no significant police action has been taken against Mondal, despite his use of highly offensive language towards an on-duty officer.
On May 29, Mondal, who serves as the convenor of the Trinamool Congress Birbhum district committee, reportedly threatened Halder over the phone. The abusive conversation included derogatory remarks directed at the officer's wife and mother, and the audio of this call quickly went viral on social media.
Following the incident, Mondal sought anticipatory bail from the Bolpur Sub-divisional Court, which was granted without any objections from the Birbhum District Police. In a strange twist, it was Halder who was questioned by higher authorities regarding how the conversation became public.
Mondal was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in August 2022 related to an alleged cattle smuggling operation and was held at Tihar Jail, Delhi. He was granted bail in the CBI case by the Supreme Court on July 30, 2024, and later in an Enforcement Directorate (ED) case on September 20, 2024. After spending over two years in custody, he was released on September 23 last year, returning to a hero's welcome in Birbhum.