• Anubrata skips cop summons again; lawyer claims ‘AI plot’
    Times of India | 2 June 2025
  • 12 Suri: Trinamool's Birbhum strongman Anubrata Mondal skipped police summons for a second consecutive day on Sunday. Instead, his lawyer met the investigating officer with a detailed medical report explaining his absence. Mondal has reportedly been advised bed rest for five days.Amid this, TMC suspended the party's Chatra Parishad president Bikramjit Shaw, a Mondal confidante, for six years for attacking Bolpur IC Liton Halder in a now-deleted social media post.Mondal's lawyers and aides, however, cited a "conspiracy" involving "AI" to explain the four-minute purported conversation with Halder, which was littered with threats and abuses directed not only at the officer but also at his wife and mother. Prodded by the party, Mondal has already tendered an "unconditional apology" for his comments.In his tirade, Shaw even dared the IC to act against him. Hurling allegations against the police officer, Shaw claimed that Halder's "illegal acts" will be "punished by the people of Birbhum". Shaw took down his post a little later but TMCP state president Trinankur Bhattacharya summarily suspended him, saying his post was "unacceptable" and brought "disrepute to the party".Mondal's lawyer Bipad Taran Bhattacharya claimed that he was a "victim of conspiracy", refusing to elaborate citing the ongoing probe.Mondal was first summoned to the Bolpur SDPO on Saturday, failing which he was served a second summons, asking him to present himself by 11am on Sunday. He failed that, too. Around the same time, Bhattacharya reached the police station. Emerging out, Bhattacharya, who was initially very reluctant to respond to reporters' queries, said: "He (Mondal) is very ill.""Anubrata Mondal is a victim of conspiracy. We have faith in law, judiciary, courts and the administration. We have faith in people. Beyond that, I will not say a word," the lawyer said. Asked repeatedly if Mondal would move for anticipatory bail, he said: "I will not speak on it since the matter is sub judice."The fact that Mondal may take a conspiracy alibi became apparent on Sunday morning when a local TMC neta, Debabrata Sarkar, who went to the Bolpur SDPO, told reporters while stepping out that "AI has been used to doctor the audio tape". Sarkar did not elaborate and only said, "He (Mondal) is ill. He is at home."Asked repeatedly whether Mondal told police that AI has been used to doctor the audio, Sarkar responded curtly: "Ask police. I am not here to speak with the media. Mondal will do what the party says. The party will speak on it."
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