Kolkata, March 30 – The Enforcement Directorate (ED) issued summons to Trinamool Congress legislator Debasish Kumar, who represents the Rashbehari Assembly Constituency in South Kolkata, and a Member-Mayor-in-Council (MMIC) of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), on Monday, in connection with an illegal land grabbing case in West Bengal.
At the time the report was filed, Kumar had already arrived at the ED's office at the central government office (CGO) complex in Salt Lake, on the northern outskirts of Kolkata, to face questioning.
Kumar has been re-nominated from the Rashbehari Assembly Constituency this time as well.
Sources familiar with the development said that on March 28, ED officials conducted searches in Kolkata and some adjacent areas in connection with a land-grabbing case. On that day, searches were also conducted at the office of an organization in the city and the homes of officials associated with it. Sources said that the searches were related to an illegal land-grabbing case.
The organization is accused of defrauding investors by promising them high returns on their investments. During the investigation, Kumar's name came up, and based on their findings, the investigating officials of the ED summoned him.
It is learnt that the ED started its investigation based on around 17 FIRs registered against the organization in different police stations in West Bengal. During the raid and search operations on March 28, the ED officials examined the accounts of the organization and also questioned its directors and senior officials.
Sources said that during the investigation and interrogation, Kumar's name surfaced, and the investigating officials decided to question him in the matter.
The Trinamool Congress leadership had claimed that before the two-phase Assembly elections in West Bengal next month, the Union government had once again deployed central investigating agencies to harass the party leader and candidates, and the summons to Kumar was an example.
State leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed that since the investigation into the matter by the ED was due to a court order, there was no question of the Union government or the BJP having any involvement in the matter.