Glare on Mukul in Trinamul and Mukul in BJP

TT, 5 February 2019, Calcutta: Mukul Roy, the former second-in-command in the Trinamul Congress, emerged at the centre of political discourse in Bengal throughout Monday with questions swirling on whether the CBI had allegedly pressed the pause button against him in its probe against Saradha default mobilising scam after he joined the BJP in November 2017. A section of Trinamul leaders and senior police officers wondered why Roy was being left out of the ambit of probe. They said if Kumar was to be held responsible for allegedly tampering with evidence, then Roy should be booked for reportedly helping Saradha group chairman flee Bengal in 2013.

Questions surfaced soon after Roy tweeted on Sunday night asking why Mamata had rushed to save police commissioner Rajeev Kumar and even questioned why senior police officers had joined her in the dharna. "She is challenging constitution of India, open attack!!" Roy had tweeted.

Roy came under CBI's scanner in September 2014 after Arvind Singh Chauhan, one the drivers of Sudipa Sen claimed that his boss had met Roy a few days before he had fled. Chauhan had said Sen had asked him to drive down to Nizam Palace where the meeting took place. The alleged meeting assumed significance for the investigators because of the timing. By Chauhan's claim, the meeting took place on April 5, 2013 and a day later, Sen sent the purported letter to the CBI that offered the investigating agency a peek into how Saradha operated and how it significantly flourished. Four days later on April 9, Sen fled.

"A driver, who was arrested with Sen, tells the CBI about Roy's alleged role and yet, he is allowed to go scotfree. But a police officer who headed a special investigation team becomes a sudden target?" asked a Trinamul general secretary.

The CBI said Roy appeared for questioning within 18 days since he was first summoned to appear for questioning at the CGO Complex in Salt in January 2013. Four years later, he switched allegiance..