Police quizzes Kunal Ghosh

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kunal Ghosh has been interrogated at the Bidhannagar police commissionerate for his alleged link with the Saradha chit fund scam.

Ghosh came to the commissionerate around 6 pm and for the next one hour he was questioned by a team of officers led by Arnab Ghosh, deputy commissioner, detective department of the Bidhannagar commissionerate.

The development comes in the wake of various political parties asking for Ghosh's arrest.

Today, Congress supporters demonstrated in front of state assembly and the state secretariat, Writers Building, demanding his arrest. Already, a number of complaints have been made at various police stations against Ghosh by the employees of Saradha media.

However, Ghosh seemed to put up a brave front on Monday at the police headquarters. Talking to reporters, he said despite all the "canards" written about his role in Saradha affairs, he welcomed the police initiative to question him, so that he would be able to clear his position.

It is learnt that the police has decided to interrogate all those figured in Saradha Group chairman Sudipta Sen's letter to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Another TMC MP, Srinjoy Basu, has also been named in the letter.

While speculation is rife that Ghosh has already been asked to resign from the Rajya Sabha, TMC sources did not confirm it.

On Friday, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee will have a meeting with the members of TMC's general council to discuss the fallout of the Saradha scam on her party.

On Saturday, she will address a mass ally to respond to the CPI(M)'s allegations against her party and family, accusing them of having close links with the chit fund business.

The Centre has asked various agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate,the Income Tax department, the ministry of corporate affairs (MCA), and the Serious Frauds Investigation Office (SFIO) to probe the issue and protect the interest of small investors.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh prodded the investigating agencies in that direction, saying, "Unauthorised collection of deposits, in exchange for the promise that exorbitant rate of return will be given, is something which has to be curbed."

Sources said Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials will be coming tomorrow to Kolkata in connection with the Saradha case.