Four Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders, including two recently-inducted ministers in the Mamata Banerjee government and a legislator, were picked up by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Kolkata on May 17 in connection with the 2016 Narada sting operation case.
The central investigative agency maintained that the leaders had been taken to its office only for questioning in connection with the case. The leaders, who were taken to the agency’s office at Nizam Palace include ministers Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee, MLA Madan Mitra and former Kolkata mayor Sovan Chatterjee, news reports suggested.West Bengal: TMC Ministers Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee, MLA Madan Mitra & Former Mayor Sovhan Chatterjee were brought to the CBI office in connection with Narada Scam
— ANI (@ANI) May 17, 2021
All four leaders were ministers in then TMC government when the Narada bribery tapes were released in 2014.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also arrived at the CBI office.
West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar had earlier this month given prosecution sanction to the CBI against the four leaders, a move that empowered the central agency to file a chargesheet against all four.
“I was arrested by the CBI in connection with the Narada sting operation case. I was arrested without any prior notice. I will challenge my arrest in court (sic),” Hakim, West Bengal’s urban development and municipal affairs minister, was quoted as saying by News18.
The sting operation was conducted by Narada news founder Mathew Samuel for over two years. Ahead of the 2016 assembly elections, Narada news released videos showing 13 TMC ministers and leaders allegedly accepting bribes in return of favours, or misusing official positions.