Kunal Ghosh writes to CBI accusing Kumar, seeking joint questioning with Mukul Roy

Former Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kunal Ghosh, who was jointly questioned with Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar by the CBI in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam, wrote to the probe agency on Tuesday, accusing the top police officer of tampering with the new evidence that has emerged in the case in Shillong.

Ghosh, whose two-day questioning ended on Monday, demanded that he should jointly be interrogated with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mukul Roy as it might be helpful for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

"I have written a letter to the CBI, where I have categorically accused Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar of tampering with the evidence that has emerged in the chit fund case during the joint questioning with me in Shillong.

"Kumar is leaking whatever I had said during the joint interrogation with him (at Shillong) and is instructing his subordinate officers to tamper with that evidence. I have received information regarding it. I request the CBI to take immediate action so that the tampering of evidence is stopped," Ghosh told PTI.

When contacted, Kolkata Police officials said they were yet to receive any query from the central probe agency. "If we get any (query from CBI), we will answer it," a senior Kolkata Police official said.

Ghosh claimed that several key persons were still out of the purview of the CBI investigation into the multi-crore-rupee scam.

"I am always ready to cooperate with the CBI. I think I should be interrogated jointly with Mukul Roy. It will throw some light on the investigation," he said.

Ghosh was arrested by the special investigation team headed by Kumar in November, 2013, when he was a Rajya Sabha MP of the TMC, in connection with the scam. He was granted bail in 2016.

When contacted, Roy said he was ready to be quizzed by the CBI.

"If the CBI calls me for interrogation, I am ready to go. I have no problems, I am ready to help the investigating agency," he told PTI.

Roy, a former TMC general secretary who joined the BJP in November, 2017 following differences with party supremo Mamata Banerjee, has been interrogated once by the central probe agency in January, 2015.

Ghosh had on Monday urged political parties not to politicise the CBI probe into the ponzi scheme case.

"I request all political parties not to politicise the matter. The steps that are being taken now for the sake of investigation should have been taken long back - during the time of investigation by the SIT set up by the West Bengal government. Unfortunately, it did not happen. However, better late than never," he had written on his Facebook page.