A virtual showdown ensued in Kolkata today after a scuffle broke out between police officers and CBI sleuths outside Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar’s residence.
The high drama began in the evening when a team of CBI arrived at the IPS officer’s residence as a part of their investigation in Rose Valley and Saradha Ponzi scams. However, within an hour, officers of Kolkata police arrived there and forced out the CBI team from there, said sources.
Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) units arrive at CBI regional office at CGO Complex, Kolkata.
AGENCIES / KOLKATA
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval this evening after a huge showdown between the Kolkata Police and the officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation over the questioning of Kolkata police chief Rajeev Kumar.
The CBI officials, who turned up at the home of Mr Kumar, had been dragged off to the Park Street police station. “How dare you come to a police commissioner’s home without a warrant,” questioned Ms Banejee furiously, promising to hold a dharna to “save the Constitution”.
“There is total constitutional breakdown. It is my job to protect my officers. How dare you come to a police commissioner’s home without warrant?” the Chief Minister told reporters in the evening.
“They (the BJP) cannot fight is politically. That’s why they are resorting to all this… The kind of language that PM is using does not suit the office of Prime Minister. Mr (Ajit) Doval is doing whatever PM wants him to do, he is the one giving all the instructions to CBI,” Ms Banerjee said.
Rajeev Kumar, who headed a Special Investigation Team probing the Saradha and Rose Valley Ponzi scams, which surfaced in Bengal in 2013, was asked to help with the investigation after several key documents allegedly went missing.
Over the last two years he had received several summons for questioning. This time, reports appeared in media that Mr Kumar may be arrested for evading questioning in the chit fund case.
The Kolkata Police said they would take action against some media outlets for defamatory reports that claimed Mr Kumar was “absconding”.
Accusing the BJP of engineering the issue, Ms Banerjee said the police chief had taken off only for a day. Her tweet read: “The Kolkata Police Commissioner is among the best in the world. His integrity, bravery and honesty are unquestioned. He is working 24×7, and was on leave for only one day recently. When you spread lies, the lies will always remain lies”.
This evening, as the CBI officers turned up at the Park Street House of Rajeev Kumar, they were refused entry by the police guards posted there. Senior police officers virtually shepherded the CBI team away from the residence — first to the Park Street Police Station and then to the nearby Shakespeare Sarani police station.
After a meeting with the police brass at Mr Kumar’s house, Ms Banerjee said the trouble had flared up after the Prime Minister attacked her during his rally in the state and she had retaliated to his comments.
The state’s BJP lawmaker Babul Supriyo tweeted: “President’s Rule should be imposed on West Bengal to control this ‘Rogue’ #TMchhi Govt under a corrupt CM MamtaBanerjee. This is a constitutional crisis ‘created’ by Mamta to shield her corrupt & tainted accomplices”
“Democracy has ended in West Bengal. The CBI was investigating on orders of the Supreme Court, but they didn’t allow them. CBI officers were detained, this is the first time something like this has happened since independence, We condemn this,” said senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya.