Kolkata: The National Investigation Agency arrested TMC chief Chhatradhar Mahato over the case of a CPI(M) chief’s killing in 2009.
The arrest occurred quickly after Mahato solid his vote in Lalgarh in the course of the first part of polls in West Bengal, a senior official knowledgeable on Sunday.
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Hours after voting, Chhatradhar Mahato was nabbed from his residence in Jhargram district by an NIA crew comprising of 40-45 personnel late on Saturday.
“He was arrested in connection with the 2009 killing of CPI(M) leader Prabir Mahato. He has been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. We will produce him at a city court on Sunday,” the NIA official mentioned as quoted by PTI.
Mahato was previously a convenor of the Maoist-backed People Against Police Atrocities (PCPA). The Calcutta High Court had just lately requested Mahato to look earlier than the NIA thrice every week to help the probe of the case.
The TMC chief had earlier served a 10-year jail sentence for his involvement in a landmine blast triggered by Maoists in Salboni in 2008. The blast was aimed on the convoy of the then West Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and former Union minister Ramvilas Paswan.
Rajdhani Express Hijacking
It is alleged that in 2009, TMC chief Chhatradhar Mahato and his associates tried to hijack Rajdhani Express by firing – an try that went on for about 4 to five hours. He was arrested and was charged below the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. In May 2015, the Medinipur district courtroom convicted Mahato and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
After his launch from jail in February 2021, he was appointed as an office-bearer of the Trinamool Congress. Currently, he’s seen because the face of the tribal neighborhood inside TMC.
Mahato can also be a member of the core state committee of CM Mamata Banerjee and the arrest is being seen as a blow to Trinamool amid fierce election faceoff with BJP.
