Kolkata Showdown LIVE Updates: High drama ensued outside the residence of Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar after a scuffle broke out between a team of CBI and police officers on Sunday. Throwing her weight behind the city police chief, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rushed to the Loudon Street residence of Kumar in central Kolkata, and sat on a dharna. She has received support of several opposition leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal, Akhilesh Yadav, MK Stalin and HD Deve Gowda.
According to initial report, a team of the investigating agency arrived at Kumar’s residence in the evening as part of their investigation in Rose Valley and Saradha Ponzi scams. However, they were stopped outside the IPS officer’s house, following which nearly 15 CBI officers were forcefully taken to police station.
A team of 40-odd agency officers arrived at his residence a day after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) claimed that the IPS officer had been “absconding” and “being looked for”.
The Rose Valley scam is worth over Rs 15,000 crore and Saradha scam is about Rs 2500 crore. In both cases, the perpetrators allegedly have links with the members of the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, officials said.
Senior Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien tweeted, asking if BJP was planning a coup by sending 40 CBI officers to the home of the police commissioner.
BJP planning a constitutional coup ? 40 CBI officials surround Kolkata Police Commissioner’s home. Destruction of institutions goes on unabated. Our demand in #Parliament on Mon. Modi has to go. We are reaching out and sharing this with all Oppn parties who want to #SaveDemocracy— Derek O'Brien | ডেরেক ও’ব্রায়েন (@derekobrienmp) February 3, 2019
Earlier on Sunday, CM Mamata Banerjee had described Kumar as the best police officer in the country. Slamming the BJP for “worst kind of political vendetta”, Banerjee said the Kolkata police chief is among the best in the world and was not absconding as claimed by the CBI. “He is working 24×7, and was on leave for only one day recently. When you spread lies, the lies will always remain lies,” she tweeted.
The tense situation poses the first immediate challenge for new CBI chief Rishi Kumar Shukla, who has previously served as the Madhya Pradesh police chief.
It is also the first big confrontation between the Bengal CM and the Centre after the state government followed Andhra Pradesh in withdrawing general consent accorded to the CBI to conduct probe and raids in the state.
The general consent, accorded to the CBI by the then Left Front government in 1989, enabled the central agency to conduct any investigation without taking separate permission from the state government.
Following the withdrawal of general consent in November last year, the CBI is required to obtain permission from the West Bengal government to carry out any sort of investigation except those ordered by the courts. The CBI functions under the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act.
Banerjee had late last month described the CBI as “an ally” of the BJP-led central government, alleging that the Centre was using the agency to harass the opposition parties throughout the country.
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