Centre-Bengal on collision path again as ED accuses Kolkata cops of forgery

The Enforcement Directorate has filed a police complaint here accusing the Kolkata Police of “forging” a court order that required an officer of the federal agency to provide his voice sample in a criminal case in West Bengal, officials said recently.

Based on the complaint by the ED, the Delhi Police’s Crime Branch has registered the FIR, they said and added that summons could be issued to Kolkata Police officials soon.

The police department in Bengal is under Mamata Banerjee’s control.

“An FIR has been filed against officials of the Kolkata Police after the ED complained of forgery and fabrication of a court order sent to them by the Kolkata Police. The court order sent by them stated that ED Joint Director Kapil Raj should provide his voice sample but omitted the words that included seeking his consent,” a senior officer said.

Meanwhile, BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari accused the Mamata government of “using police to fabricate a court order”. “The police are misleading the ED by changing a court order. This is being done to put pressure on the ED, which is probing several cases in the state,” Adhikari said while speaking to Indian Express. Adhikari said the BJP will move Calcutta high court “if needed,” demanding intervention.

An Alipore court had issued the order and asked the joint director to appear before the Kolkata Police to give his voice sample with his consent, he said.

ED sources said that the agency received the court order from the Kolkata Police without the mention of the word “consent” in it.

The case being probed by the Kolkata Police was registered on the basis of a complaint after a purported audio conversation was aired by a news channel claiming that a businessman and an ED officer were talking including about payment of some alleged payoffs by some people.

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Raj is the supervisory officer probing the alleged coal pilferage money laundering case in West Bengal that also involves TMC MP and party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who has been questioned by the ED in this case twice while his wife Rujira has not deposed before the agency till now despite summons being issued to her.

ED officials said the alleged “deliberate omission or editing of the word consent from the order was an attempt to intimidate the agency and its officers probing money laundering cases in West Bengal including the coal scam investigation”.

Abhishek Banerjee has called the ED investigation “vendetta politics” by the Centre against him and his party, which is led by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.