In an unprecedented development, a team of senior CBI officials has been detained by Kolkata Police at the behest of city police commissioner Rajiv Kumar, who faces allegations in the Saradha chit fund scam case.
The trouble began for the central probe agency when it marched a dozen of its officials to the residence of Kumar to question him in connection with the case. Kumar was at home, but he refused to let the officers enter the complex.
The CBI officers then went to Shakespeare police station and Park Street police station to drop a letter requesting permission to interrogate Kumar.
Kolkata Police, however, detained the officers and took all of them into custody. Their mobile phones were snatched, thereby denying them a chance to communicate with their boss, Joint Director (east), Pankaj Srivastava.
A senior CBI officer said that they were dragged, thrashed and forcibly put into a police van by Kolkata policemen. The officers of the CBI are of the ranks of DSP, DC and senior SP.
Kolkata Police later rushed to the official residence of Srivastava to arrest him. A heavy deployment of police has been arranged at the residence of Srivastava.
Police detain the CBI team which reached the residence of Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar | Salil Bera
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rushed to the house of Kumar, breaking all protocol. She blamed National Security Advisor Ajit Doval for the confrontation between the Centre and the state governments.
"Doval is the main culprit. He is doing all these at the instruction of (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi and (BJP president) Amit Shah,” said Banerjee.
She said Modi and Shah are trying to organise a 'coup' in West Bengal as the ruling Trinamool Congress recently organised an opposition rally.
Banerjee also blamed Kailash Vijayvargiya, the BJP in-charge of Bengal, calling him a dacoit. The chief minister also accused the saffron party of pushing for Constitutional break down.
Banerjee said she felt sad but would stand by Kumar.
“I will sit on 'dharna' tonight to protect the Constitution and protest against the incident,” she said.
When the CBI team reached Kumar's residence, it was stopped outside by officials and sentries | Salil Bera
Meanwhile, Srivastava dialed governor K.N. Tripathy and wanted an appointment. Tripathy is understood to have accepted the plea. However, till late night Srivastava could not come out of his house.
According to the CBI, IPS officer Kumar, who led a Special Investigation Team of West Bengal Police probing the scams, needs to be questioned regarding missing documents and files but he has not responded to notices to appear before the agency.
Kumar, a 1989-batch IPS officer of West Bengal cadre, did not even attend a meeting with Election Commission officials who had gone to Kolkata to review election preparedness, sources said.
A statement was issued Sunday from Kolkata Police, dismissing reports of him being missing from work.
With inputs from agencies
