Trinamool MP named in FIR for financial irregularities

Kolkata, April 26 (IANS) Compounding the misery of West Bengal's Trinamool Congress government, employees of a news channel run by the Saradha Group have lodged an FIR against the party MP Kunal Ghosh.

The first information report filed Thursday night with the Park Street police station has named Ghosh, Somnath Dutta - the CEO and vice president, respectively, of the media arm, group chief Sudipta Sen and three others for non-payment of salaries, non-submission of provident fund and non-submission of tax deducted at source, said a police officer.

Both Dutta and Ghosh denied having any financial power as employees of the group and blamed Sen for framing them.

"As the CEO I was entrusted only with the editorial responsibilities and had no financial powers. I was just an ordinary salaried employee. I never made any decision regarding the finances of the company. All the monetary affairs were administered by Sen," said Ghosh, a Trinamool Congress member of the Rajya Sabha.

Ghosh also rubbished Sen's claim that he had coerced the now arrested Group chief to sell one of the media houses at a throwaway price.

Sen, now behind bars and facing prosecution for cheating had written to the Central Bureau of Investigation indicting several high profile Trinamool and Congress leaders for complicity in the scam and financially exploiting and coercing him.

Dutta too echoed Ghosh's views.

Meanwhile, the employees of the media house held a demonstration in front of its office.

The chit fund-funded Group went bust after collecting money from lakhs of unsuspecting depositors.