The actor represents Ghatal in Lok Sabha TMC MP from Ghatal, Deepak Adhikari, who is also an actor popularly known as Dev, was on Wednesday summoned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with an ongoing probe into an alleged cattle smuggling racket.
According to sources, Dev has been asked to appear before CBI officers on February 15 at Nizam Palace in Kolkata. His name allegedly cropped up during questioning of some witnesses in the case. Dev was unavailable for comment on the matter. The TMC did not immediately react to Wednesday’s development.
The agency is probing the alleged involvement of several Border Security Force (BSF), Customs and police officers, smugglers and politicians in a “cattle smuggling racket” along the West Bengal-Bangladesh border. In an FIR filed on September 21, 2020, the CBI named four persons – BSF Commandant Satish Kumar, Md Enamul Haque, Anarul Sheikh and Md Gulam Mustafa.
The CBI has mentioned in the FIR that between December 19, 2015 and April 22, 2017, Satish Kumar was posted as Commandant of BSF, 36 Battalion in Malda district that had four companies deployed in Murshidabad and two companies in Malda then. It is alleged that during this period, more than 20,000 cows were seized by the BSF before being transported across the border.
According to the FIR, the seizure lists were “prepared arbitrarily, categorizing the breed and size of the animals with an intention to reduce the upset price of the cattle during auctions.” This was done in connivance with officials of the BSF and Customs and traders like Md. Enamul Haque, Anarul Sk and Md. Gulam Mustafa, it added. The cattle were auctioned immediately (within 24 hours of seizure), claimed the CBI.
The TMC has been alleging that the opposition BJP was “using central agencies” to put pressure on the ruling party’s
leaders. The CBI recently summoned West Bengal law minister Moloy Ghatak for questioning in connection with a coal pilferage case.
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