Probe Agency NIA Arrests Trinamool Leader For Not Appearing Before Court Thrice A Week

The NIA is investigating multiple cases against Chhatradhar Mahato, including that of CPM leader Prabir Ghosh in 2009.

In a pre-dawn swoop today, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Trinamool Congress State Committee member Chhatradhar Mahato from his home in Jhargram district's Lalgarh and whisked him off to Kolkata to be produced before a court around noon. He was asleep when a 40-member team dragged him away, local sources said. A policeman was injured during the incident. The 57-year-old Mr Mahato's family refused to sign or accept any document served by the agency. The NIA is investigating multiple cases against Mr Mahato, including the 2009 murder of CPM leader Prabir Ghosh during the Maoist uprising in the Lalgarh area. Following his arrest back then, Maoists had tried to hijack the Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express demanding his release. The agency is probing that case, too. The immediate cause of Mr Mahato's arrest is his failure to appear before the NIA three times a week - at 11 am every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday - as ordered by the court. Yesterday, he was seen casting his vote for the first time since his arrest under UAPA in 2010. Mr Mahato was the leader of the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCPA) formed in Lalgarh in 2008, soon after an assassination attempt on former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee by Maoists. His older brother, Sasadhar Mahato, was implicated in that assassination bid.