In a big jolt to the Mamata Banerjee-government in West Bengal, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday arrested Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) Rajya Sabha member Srinjoy Bose in connection with the Saradha scam.
Bose was summoned by the CBI for questioning on Friday. After quizzing for about six hours, the CBI arrested Bose in the evening for his “prima-facie involvement” in the case relating to Saradha Realty on allegations of criminal conspiracy, misappropriation of funds and deriving undue financial benefits. According to sources, Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari was informed about the arrest by the CBI. Bose will be presented in a local court on Saturday.
Besides being a Rajya Sabha MP, Bose owns the Bengali daily “Pratidin,” which had a tie-up with Sudipta Sen-promoted Saradha's media house. Kunal Ghosh also worked for Bose's newspaper beside being the head of Saradha's media wing.
Before he was arrested by West Bengal police last year in connection with Saradha, Ghosh had named Bose along with several other TMC leaders for their alleged complicity in the Saradha scam in a 36-minute video broadcast on a local Bengali channel last year.
Bose is the second TMC leader to be arrested by CBI in Saradha scam. CBI had earlier arrested TMC leader and former West Bengal police chief Rajat Majumder, who used to serve Saradha group reportedly as ‘security advisor’. Majumder has also been named in the second chargesheet filed by the CBI in a case related to Saradha Realty case.
Through Sen's purported letter to CBI last year and Ghosh's public comments before being arrested, many TMC leaders including Mukul Roy, Madan Mitra or Srinjoy Bose were alleged to have been linked to the Saradha scam.
While opposition parties including the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party reacted to the development saying the arrest was expected, TMC hit back at the CBI.
“The CBI is a political tool used by the previous government to settle political scores. Now the BJP is doing an action replay. They cannot combat the Trinamool politically. They have tried and failed. So what do they do? Let loose a discredited CBI,” said TMC spokesperson Derek O'Brien.
“Why was Sebi (Securities and Exchange Board of India) sleeping over chit funds when they were formed? Why did the Centre not act earlier? Our government arrested the owner of chit funds. Saradha was set up during the Left Front rule. Both the Congress and BJP were in power at Centre. Left Front was an ally in UPA-1. Chit Fund law is under Central jurisdiction," chief minister Mamata Banerjee said in party meeting on the outskirts of Kolkata on Friday, but without making any reference to the arrest.
Another TMC leader, West Bengal transport minister Madan Mitra, who was also summoned by the CBI on Friday, however, did not appear before the investigating agency citing “poor health”. Hours after receiving the summon on Wednesday evening, Mitra was admitted to a private hospital. On Thursday, he moved to government-run SSKM hospital.
Former TMC MP and now Congress leader Somen Mitra was also summoned. He appeared before the investigating agency in the afternoon on Friday.
On May 9, a division bench of T S Thakur and C Nagappan had directed the CBI to launch a probe into the operations of the deposit-taking firms of West Bengal and Odisha including Saradha that sunk in April 2013 and specifically asked the investigating agency to look into the larger conspiracy angle. Banerjee and her party had opposed the CBI enquiry into the scam.
Bose was summoned by the CBI for questioning on Friday. After quizzing for about six hours, the CBI arrested Bose in the evening for his “prima-facie involvement” in the case relating to Saradha Realty on allegations of criminal conspiracy, misappropriation of funds and deriving undue financial benefits. According to sources, Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari was informed about the arrest by the CBI. Bose will be presented in a local court on Saturday.
Besides being a Rajya Sabha MP, Bose owns the Bengali daily “Pratidin,” which had a tie-up with Sudipta Sen-promoted Saradha's media house. Kunal Ghosh also worked for Bose's newspaper beside being the head of Saradha's media wing.
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Before he was arrested by West Bengal police last year in connection with Saradha, Ghosh had named Bose along with several other TMC leaders for their alleged complicity in the Saradha scam in a 36-minute video broadcast on a local Bengali channel last year.
Bose is the second TMC leader to be arrested by CBI in Saradha scam. CBI had earlier arrested TMC leader and former West Bengal police chief Rajat Majumder, who used to serve Saradha group reportedly as ‘security advisor’. Majumder has also been named in the second chargesheet filed by the CBI in a case related to Saradha Realty case.
Through Sen's purported letter to CBI last year and Ghosh's public comments before being arrested, many TMC leaders including Mukul Roy, Madan Mitra or Srinjoy Bose were alleged to have been linked to the Saradha scam.
While opposition parties including the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party reacted to the development saying the arrest was expected, TMC hit back at the CBI.
“The CBI is a political tool used by the previous government to settle political scores. Now the BJP is doing an action replay. They cannot combat the Trinamool politically. They have tried and failed. So what do they do? Let loose a discredited CBI,” said TMC spokesperson Derek O'Brien.
“Why was Sebi (Securities and Exchange Board of India) sleeping over chit funds when they were formed? Why did the Centre not act earlier? Our government arrested the owner of chit funds. Saradha was set up during the Left Front rule. Both the Congress and BJP were in power at Centre. Left Front was an ally in UPA-1. Chit Fund law is under Central jurisdiction," chief minister Mamata Banerjee said in party meeting on the outskirts of Kolkata on Friday, but without making any reference to the arrest.
Another TMC leader, West Bengal transport minister Madan Mitra, who was also summoned by the CBI on Friday, however, did not appear before the investigating agency citing “poor health”. Hours after receiving the summon on Wednesday evening, Mitra was admitted to a private hospital. On Thursday, he moved to government-run SSKM hospital.
Former TMC MP and now Congress leader Somen Mitra was also summoned. He appeared before the investigating agency in the afternoon on Friday.
On May 9, a division bench of T S Thakur and C Nagappan had directed the CBI to launch a probe into the operations of the deposit-taking firms of West Bengal and Odisha including Saradha that sunk in April 2013 and specifically asked the investigating agency to look into the larger conspiracy angle. Banerjee and her party had opposed the CBI enquiry into the scam.