Kolkata: A political firestorm raged in West Bengal’s Kolkata as CM Mamata Banerjee’s sit-in protest against CBI’s attempt to grill Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar in chit fund scam cases entered the third day on Tuesday. The chief minister declared her agitation to save the “Constitution and country” will continue till February 8.
On the other hand, all eyes are on Supreme Court as it will hear the pleas on Tuesday filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Kumar and West Bengal government for alleged non-cooperation in a case connected with Saradha chit fund scam.
On Monday, the CBI filed a contempt plea in the apex court against West Bengal Chief Secretary, Director General of Police and Kolkata Police Commissioner for wilful and deliberate violation of the apex court orders. A three-judge SC bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Sanjiv Khanna will hear the pleas. Meanwhile, Rajeev Kumar is said to have moved the Calcutta High Court against the issue.
Virtually all opposition parties rallied behind Banerjee’s direct confrontation with the Modi government, even as the BJP called it an “alliance of corrupt” and Home Minister Rajnath Singh told Parliament that developments in West Bengal were indicative of a “breakdown of the Constitution”.
Trinamool workers took to streets burning effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah and blocked trains, while the BJP lined up its top leaders to step up the counter-offensive against Banerjee and other opposition leaders.
“We will direct the Police Commissioner to make himself available and fully cooperate. We will deal with contempt petition later,” observed CJI.
Calcutta HC adjourns hearing in Kolkata Police chief Rajeev Kumar case till Thursday as the Supreme Court is seized of the matter.
“We were going through your prayers. It might not be difficult to make Rajeev Kumar available. But contempt we cannot decide now. To decide contempt, we will have to issue notice and hear the other party,” remarks CJI Ranjan Gogoi.
Attorney General KK Venugopal commenced submissions, citing 2014 judgment of Supreme Court to transfer the probe to CBI. “The material handed over to us was not the entire material. We had serious doubts over the documents which were handed over to us. Call data records which were given to us were incomplete,” KK Venugopal.
Attorney General K K Venugopal opens argument on behalf of CBI, alleges destruction of evidence in Saradha chitfund scam case. The affidavit said that there are several incriminating material/correspondence that was collected during the investigation by the CBI against the senior police officials as well as senior politicians. The affidavit says the investigation was being done by SIT and crucial evidence such as laptops, mobile phones etc. were handed over to the main accused in Saradha scam case by the investigating officer of West Bengal police working under direct supervision of Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar.
The affidavit also states that the return of crucial evidence to main accused by the SIT, despite regular monitoring by HC, clearly show connivance of SIT to a larger conspiracy wherein local authorities obstructed probe and attempted to destroy evidence prior to transfer of the case to CBI by SC.
Earlier the SC had said that “if the police commissioner is even remotely trying to destroy evidence, we will come down so heavily on him that he will regret”. The top court had said all material or evidence and additional documents have to be placed before it by means of affidavit.
The Supreme Court starts hearing in the matter.
Congress leader Siddaramaiah, “With bad intention and by keeping election in mind, they are (Centre) misusing the power and conducted raid at Commissioner’s house. Mamata Banerjee opposed it by saying this is part of political vendetta. I support it. Mamata Banerjee did the right thing. She’ll face court later but nobody should misuse ED, IT or any agency. PM Narendra Modi is creating anarchy. Can anybody raid your house?They have rights to work as per law. They didn’t have any order or warrant.”
Actress Indrani Halder and senior ministers Arup Biswas and Indranil Sen were present Tuesday morning at the ‘dharna mancha’.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Chandrababu Naidu are expected to visit the dharna site at Metro Channel on Tuesday, news agency PTI reported citing sources.
Actress and TMC leader Indrani Halder meets Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at ‘Save the Constitution’ dharna in Kolkata.
Along with SC hearing, hearing at Calcutta High Court will also be heard where the Kolkata Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar had moved the stop operations petition for several notices served by the CBI.
RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav, who turned up on Monday night alongside DMK leader Kanimozhi, has stayed back and will be joining the dharna on Monday morning with West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee. However, Kanimozhi has left.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s ‘Save the Constitution’ dharna near Metro Channel in Kolkata. The stage is currently covered with curtains.
A quick recap of the ongoing turmoil in Kolkata:
The CBI, which has proof that Kumar destroyed evidence in the chit fund scam, on Monday moved the Supreme Court to seek direction on how to act against Kumar, a senior IPS officer. A full-blown face-off between Mamata Banerjee government and the Centre erupted on Sunday evening after a CBI team moved to arrest Kumar, but were instead detained themselves by the Kolkata police. CBI’s interim chief Nageswara Rao alleged that the Kolkata Police Commissioner had hampered evidence in the chit fund scam and the CBI has evidence to prove the same.
The BJP asked, “We want to ask Mamata Banerjee – why is she staging a dharna? Who does she want to shield? Police Commissioner (Rajeev Kumar) or herself?” Terming Sunday night’s incident as “murder of democracy”, Union Human Resources Development Minister Prakash Javadekar said never before has a CBI investigating team been taken into custody by the state police. “This is Mamata`s Emergency in Bengal. This is not ours, it`s Mamata,” he said.
On Monday morning, Mamata addressed a gathering of party supporters, attacking the central Modi-led government, particularly on farmers’ issue, and declaring that West Bengal will not accept any funds from the Centre as part of any scheme. She termed the interim budget as a “farce” and claimed that the schemes announced by the Centre will not be fulfilled as the Central government lacks the requisite funds.
Clad in her trademark white sari and some warm clothing and with senior party leaders in attendance, the Trinamool Congress supremo sat under the canopy till around 2 am of Monday. Towards the evening, Opposition leaders, including RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and DMK leader Kanimozhi came to the protest venue to express solidarity with her. They also used the forum to attack the central government. As the full-blown face-off escalated, several parties including the Congress, Samajwadi Party, TDP, DMK, JD(S), RJD, AAP, National Conference, PDP and Maharashtra Navnirman Party, extended support to her in her fight against the central NDA government.
On Monday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s dharna entered the second night, with her declaration that the protest will continue till February 8. A number of Opposition leaders flocked to Kolkata to express solidarity. The CM launched her dharna on Sunday night amidst the unprecedented face-off with the Centre over CBI versus state police issue. She launched her `Save the Constitution` sit-in at around 9 pm on Sunday after the CBI attempted to grill Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar in connection with the Saradha chit fund case.
Bureau Report
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