India
Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar chose not to cooperate with the CBI even after the Supreme Court directed him to appear before the agency and "faithfully" help them in the investigation
Shillong: Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar was grilled by the Central Bureau of Investigation for at least 8 hours in Shillong in connection with his alleged role in the Saradha and Rose Valley Chit Fund scams in West Bengal.
However, if reports are to be believed, Kumar, who was accompanied by his lawyer Bishwajit Deb, refused to cooperate with the CBI.
The investigating officers mostly focused on the reconstruction of events of the 2013 probe, when Kumar was Bidhannagar police commissioner. It is reported that he had helped in destroying some evidence and important documents of the chit fund cases.
Kumar is expected to face the CBI again on Sunday. Moreover, the officers have also summoned Kunal Ghosh — a former Trinamool MP who is known for his differences with Kumar — at the same time.
On Saturday, the marathon questioning began at 11 am at the highly secured CBI office at Oakland in Shillong as per the directions of the Supreme Court.
Kumar is a close aide of Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. On February 3, when the CBI reached Kolkata to question Kumar at his residence, Banerjee ordered the police to prevent the officers from reaching the top cop. Moreover, following this event, Banerjee had staged a three-day sit-in.
The incident had triggered an unprecedented tussle between the West Bengal government and the Centre and this prompted the investigating agency to rush to the Supreme Court on Monday.
The apex court directed Kumar to appear before the CBI and "faithfully" cooperate into the investigation. However, it also made clear that he should not be arrested.
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