West Bengal Leader of the Opposition and rebel Trinamool Congress MLA Ritabrata Banerjee has described the arrest of a 23-year-old man by the state’s Special Task Force (STF) over suspected militant links as a “very serious matter” and called for a detailed investigation into the allegations.
The STF arrested Hamim Mondal, 23, from the Renaissance region, on suspicion of links to militant networks.
#WATCH | Kolkata, West Bengal | On STF arresting a 23-year-old Hamim Mondal from the Renaissance area on suspicion of alleged militant links, Rebel TMC MLA and LoP in West Bengal Assembly, Ritabrata Banerjee, says, “This is a very serious matter; the STF has arrested terrorists… pic.twitter.com/QFX4cC1pkP
— ANI (@ANI) July 31, 2026
Banerjee said the authorities should investigate thoroughly and determine how long the suspected network may have been operating in the area.
"This is a very serious matter. The STF has arrested terrorists linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed who are staying in the Renaissance area,” Banerjee said.
The reference to people being linked to the Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed is the MLA’s point of view and should not be taken as an official finding. The nature of the alleged connections and evidence is still under investigation and awaiting official confirmation.
Banerjee also claimed that there was surveillance activity and alleged that the suspects may have been monitoring or tracking the Chief Minister's schedule and public programmes.
"There are signs that they were conducting surveillance, shadowing to monitor the Chief Minister’s schedule and programmes,” he said.
The allegation of surveillance of the Chief Minister has not been independently established in the information available. The investigating agencies will look into any evidence related to the claim.
The MLA said that any such alleged planning would require time and preparation and could not have been organised overnight.
“Such planning does not happen overnight. It is crucial to determine how long they have been operating here,” Banerjee said.
He hopes that the STF would investigate the matter in depth and find all the individuals or networks related to the case.
“We hope the STF gets to the root of this issue,” he added.
Banerjee also said that assistance from the central investigative agencies such as the National Investigation Agency (NIA) could be sought if required since this may be related to the Chief Minister’s security.
“If necessary, given that the Chief Minister’s security is at stake, assistance from central agencies like the NIA should be sought,” he said.
The NIA is India’s top counter-terrorism agency and handles cases involving offences which may have national-security implications. But no official announcement about the transfer of the case to the NIA was made in the report.
The STF will continue its investigation and examine the circumstances of the arrest. The investigators might look at communications records, financial transactions, digital evidence, travel history and possible contacts to see if there were links to any organised network.
The authorities might also examine the allegations concerning surveillance and any possible threat to the Chief Minister or other public officials.
Because of the serious nature of the allegations and the potential security implications, the arrest has generated political attention.
Banerjee asked the STF and other competent authorities to conduct a thorough investigation.
“The STF and the competent authorities must thoroughly investigate this critical issue,” he said.
The case will be under investigation, with forensic examinations and investigations taking place on the basis of all evidence collected by the authorities remaining the focus.
At the present time, the arrest and the allegations are still part of an ongoing investigation. No final judicial finding regarding the accused’s alleged links or claims about surveillance has been reported.
The development has placed the importance of intelligence gathering, security monitoring and coordination between state and central agencies in cases involving suspected militant activity to the fore.
So far, the West Bengal STF’s arrest of Hamim Mondal has resulted in calls for a thorough investigation, and Ritabrata Banerjee has asked authorities to investigate the full extent of the alleged network and seek out central help if necessary.
