WB Transport Minister Madan Mitra accuses CBI of tough treatment during probe

Transport Minister Madan Mitra, who is in CBI custody since Friday evening in Saradha scam case, has accused the investigating agency of trying to finish him off "psychologically".

Mitra was produced in a city court on Tuesday. "I am a psychiatric patient. I also suffer from many ailments," he told the court. "Please don't send me in CBI custody again. Neither am I a thief nor dacoit. I assure you that I shall not flee if I were granted bail," pleaded the visibly upset high-profile accused.

"About 50 CBI officials, who are very rough and tough in their approach, are forcing me to give statements, saying that Mamata Banerjee has taken money. They are also telling me that they will take me to Jhajha if I refuse to give statements indicating that many of our leaders have taken money from Saradha," Mitra said.

The court, however, remanded him to CBI custody for three more days.

Police arrangement in and around the court was very tight on Tuesday and no Trinamool Congress activists were allowed to enter the court and give slogans.

On Saturday, ruling party activists made a forcible entry to the court and disturbed the proceedings by giving slogans. The CBI on Monday had written letters to the Kolkata Police chief and commissioner of Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate, asking them to arrange for a foolproof security ring in the court on Tuesday.

Amid all the buzz over Saradha, the CPM on Tuesday held a rally at Sahid Minar ground, demanding interrogation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and return of money to lakhs of poor people who had deposited their hard-earned savings with the chit fund company. Former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee attended the meeting. A scuffle broke out between CPM activists and the police when they tried to move towards Nabanna, the administrative headquarters.

The ripples of Saradha unrest have reached Delhi as well.

"Parliament functioning is being held to ransom by Trinamool, Left, Congress and few other regional parties... The question the BJP would like to ask Mamata Banerjee is why is she portraying Trinamool as a victim of BJP-sponsored conspiracy? Is it not true that your worry is not the arrest of Madan Mitra but the larger question in your mind," BJP national secretary and in-charge of party affairs in West Bengal, Sidharth Nath Singh, said in a statement on Tuesday.