West Bengal Transport and Sports Minister Madan Mitra, whose custody with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was extended till December 19 by a city court on Tuesday, claimed inside the court room that the agency was pressuring him to take Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s name in connection with the Saradha scam.
“I am being mentally tortured. Long live Mamata Banerjee.. long live Trinamool Congress,” Mr. Mitra told journalists later in the day.
During the court proceedings, Mr. Mitra alleged that the CBI officials are trying to “forcefully record” his voice sample. “They [CBI officials] are trying to kill me mentally. They are forcing me to take Mamata’s name.”
Mr. Mitra’s counsel Ashok Mukherjee said there was no evidence to corroborate the CBI’s allegation of Mr. Mitra’s involvement in the case.
CBI’s counsel Partha Sarathi Dutta opposed the Minister’s bail plea on the ground that some “electronic data” collected by the central agency in connection with the scam is yet to be verified.
