After a shocking standoff between the CBI and the West Bengal Police over the former's attempt to question Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar in the Saradha chit fund scam, the Union home ministry will be issuing a first of its kind advisory to all states, asking “uniformed officers” to maintain decorum.
“The Centre is contemplating issuing an advisory to all the states to ensure that officers of uniformed forces adhere to the conduct rules and maintain decorum,” said a senior MHA official.
The bitter political fight ahead of the Lok Sabha polls has seen the CBI and the West Bengal Police coming in the line of fire trying to show loyalties to their political masters, where they are stationed or deployed.
The advisory comes close on the heels of CBI officials landing at the residence of Kumar, following which they were allegedly manhandled and taken to the local police station by the Kolkata Police, resulting in a bitter standoff.
CBI forms 10-member team
Meanwhile, in a move that is likely to further escalate tension between the Centre and the Mamata Banerjee government, ten CBI sleuths will be flying down to Kolkata by Friday and will be stationed there till February 20 to proceed for the possible questioning of Kumar. The questioning will happen at the Shillong office.
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The CBI has issued an order for the dispatch of ten officers led by SP Jagroop S. Gusinha. ASP V.M. Mittal, ASP Surendra Kumar Malik, DSP Atul Hajela, ASP Chander Deep, DSP Alok Kumar Sahi, DSP P.K. Srivastava, inspectors Hari Shankar Chand, Ritesh Dangi and Surajit Das are the other members of the team. The order says that the officers will need to report by Friday morning to the joint director, “where they will be briefed about the task.”
“They should be prepared to stay there till February 20,” says the order which has been issued with the approval of new CBI director Rishi Kumar Shukla.
CBI sources said the questioning of the commissioner is necessary to unravel the larger conspiracy in the chit fund scam. The agency has been keen to get certain information and documents from the commissioner and had been asking him to cooperate, but to no avail. Now the CBI sleuths are preparing their list of questions for their meeting with him in Shillong, which is expected to happen anytime after the agency team lands in Kolkata.
The CBI’s pursuit of Kumar has led to a political standoff between the BJP and the opposition parties who have united in support of Mamata and accused the Centre of misusing the agency for political gains ahead of the Lok Sabha polls .
IPS officers to face action
Meanwhile the Union home ministry is also exploring action against the officers who were on dharna with the chief minister in Kolkata on Sunday. The ministry is examining the issue and will take action on the conduct of officers, which, in the extreme possibility, can be withdrawal of the medals of the IPS officers or barring them from central deputation.
Informed sources have indicated that the Union government has taken a dim view of serving officers of uniformed forces taking part in sit-in protests or dharnas.
The MHA is reported to have asked the West Bengal government to take action against the officers as per the All-India Service Conduct Rules. According to the home ministry sources, these officers include Virendra, DGP, Govt of West Bengal; Vineet Kumar Goyal, Director, Security (in the rank of ADG), Anuj Sharma, ADG (Law & Order) and Gyanwant Singh, CP, Bidhannagar Commissionerate (in uniform), and Supratim Sarkar, Addl CP-III, Kolkata Police.
