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Updated: Aug 22, 2019 19:59 IST

A Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and former vice chairman of a municipality of Bengal’s Cooch Behar district allegedly took poison Wednesday evening after a group of people showed up at his home to demand that he return the cut money or commission he had extorted from them.

Mantu Mondal, former councillor of Mekhliganj Municipality was admitted to Jalpaiguri super speciality hospital and his condition continues to be critical. Mekhliganj is nearly 640 km away North of Kolkata.

Mondal had a confrontation at his home with several people from whom he had allegedly taken cut money promising government houses. The amount was around Rs 21 lakh.

Also read: On BJP’s ‘cut money’ attack, Mamata Banerjee’s ‘black money’ riposte

“Yesterday a group of people came to our home and stated demanding that my father return the money he had taken. He consumed poison and slumped to the ground within a few minutes,” said Mondal’s son Suman on Thursday.

Sandhya Saha, one of those who claimed to have paid Mondal, said, “I had paid him Rs 35,000 last year after he promised me a government house. We had gone to demand our money. But he went inside his room and came back after some time saying he consumed poison.”

Caught by surprise, some of those who went to demand their money joined hands with the family members of Mondal to take him to a local hospital. From there, he was referred to the Jalpaiguri hospital.

“The condition of my father continues to be critical,” Suman said. Mondal consumed pesticide, said locals.

“Mondal went inside his room keeping those who came to demand money waiting outside. After some time he told them that he consumed poison since he was not in a position to return the money,” said Mitthu Singha Sarkar Adhikari, former chairperson of Mekhliganj municipality.

The TMC said it was looking into the allegations that Mondal had extorted money.

“We are looking into the allegations against Mondal,” said Binoy Krishna Barman, Cooch Behar district president of the TMC.

“No police complaint has been lodged,” said Siddhart Dorjeee, sub divisional police officer of Mekhliganj.

In the past month and a half, Mondal, a four-time councillor, returned Rs 3 lakh to different people in two instalments, local people said.

Since June 18, when chief minister Mamata Banerjee asked the TMC rank and file to return any cut money they had taken from those entitled to government welfare schemes, there have been numerous agitations in different parts of the state by common people and opposition parties alike.

All opposition party leaders have said that the remark of the chief minister was a desperate attempt for an image makeover.

During the Lok Sabha election campaign, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders alleged in public meetings that leaders of Bengal’s ruling party extorted money freely from the people and even coined the name Trinamool Tolabaji Tax to refer to it.