A team of CBI officials gathered on Sunday at Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar’s bungalow for surprise probe after he was summoned for two chit fund scams. Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee sits on ‘Save The Constitution’ dharna, backs Rajeev Kumar.
Kolkata police gathered a team of eight CBI officials who had gone to police commissioner Rajeev Kumar’s official bungalow on Sunday evening to question him, forcibly took them to the nearby Shakespeare Sarani police station. The incident triggered an uncommon conflict between the Narendra Modi government and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Central government that had encircled Rajeev Kumar, Police Commissioner’s house finally ended the siege around 8 pm after CM issues an order to de-escalate the tension. A team of CRPF personnel then formed a cordon around the offices, indicating that the stand-off might continue in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, especially since the BJP has emerged as the Trinamool Congress’s main opposition in the state.
WB CM Mamata Banerjee on Sunday extended her support to Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar.
Ever since the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) summoned him in connection with the Rose Valley and Saradha ponzi scams on Friday, he has not been seen in public.
Banerjee claimed Kumar was “among the best in the world”, and that the Bharatiya Janata Party, which rules at the Centre, was “spreading lies” about him. She said he is “working 24×7, and was on leave for only one day recently”.
Witnessing the incident, Banerjee tweeted, “The highest levels of the BJP leadership are doing the worst kind of political vendetta.”
She added, “Not only are political parties their targets, they are misusing power to take control of the police and destroy all institutions. We condemn this.”
Meanwhile, the Kolkata cops defy CBI’s allegations and said, “Such is baseless news. Please take note that not only is the CP [Commissioner of Police] Kolkata available in the city, but has also been attending office on a regular basis, with the exception of January 31, when he was on leave for a day.”
A recent fresh statement by the Kolkata Police has also warned people against spreading fake news. The statement said, “All concerned may please take note that if any news is spread without proper verification, Kolkata Police will initiate strict legal action for defamation of both the CP Kolkata and Kolkata Police.”
A staff member of the police commissioner’s office had told PTI on Saturday, “There is very little chance that he will come to work now. You can try on Monday or call his residence.”
The governor late on Sunday night summoned chief secretary Malay De and DGP Virendra and asked for a comprehensive report.
Stay tuned for more updates!
