ED officer involved in investigation, allegedly beaten up

An Enforcement Directorate officer, probing the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam case, has alleged he was beaten up by Trinamoool Congress (TMC) workers in Hooghly.

The incident came close on the heels of TMC workers agitating against CBI officers after the arrest of West Begal Minister Madan Mitra and smashing some cars parked outside the make-shift office of the agency last week.

Taking the incident seriously, the ED regional office in Kolkata has informed the agency headquarters in the national capital and the Directorate is expected to file a complaint with West Bengal police in this regard tomorrow. According to a report sent by ED's office in Kolkata to ED headquarters, the officer in the rank of Assistant Enforcement Officer (AEO) was beaten by 8-9 people in a market in Hooghly yesterday morning when he was out for purchasing some household groceries. Officials said the officer had recently taken the possession of a Saradha property in connection with its money laundering case in this scam and he was "beaten up and heckled" by the group which the agency suspects to be the local cadres of TMC.

"The officer initially did not tell his office about the incident nor did he file an FIR as he was too afraid about the well-being of his family which lives in the same area.

After the incident was brought to the notice of higher authorities in Kolakata, an official complaint will be lodged with the police by ED office in Kolkata," they said. Officials said when the officer had gone to seize the Saradha property a few days back, his photograph was flashed on local TV news channels and his identity was thus made public. "The people who beat up the officer had probably confused with being an CBI investigator or it may also be that this was a specific attack on him as ED is also probing the Saradha ponzi scam alongisde CBI. Those who beat the officer told him that he was acting smart by probing their party seniors," they said.

The agency, the officer said, has taken a serious view of the alleged attack and hence it will approach the Inspector General (Law and Order) tomorrow. The ED headquarters here is understood to have asked its Special Director (Kolkata) to file a complaint with the police and ensure proper protection to him. State Transport Minister Madan Mitra was last week arrested by CBI in the same case after which Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had called the agency a "political tool" of BJP.