Apex court directs police commissioner Rajiv Kumar to cooperate in CBI investigations. Restricts the agency to arrest him.

The West Bengal government vs Centre imbroglio has taken a curious turn today after the apex court’s directives to the Police Commissioner of Kolkatta Rajiv Kumar to fully cooperate with the CBI and join the investigations in Shillong with unambiguous instructions to CBI prohibiting the former’s arrest.

The court has also asked the police commissioner n the chief secretary of Bengal to present themselves before the court to explain the reasons in writing as to why they have breached the court’s orders by not cooperating in the investigations.

It may be recalled that the CBI investigations in the Sharda Ponzy scam of West Bengal is being carried out under the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction n directives.

With these court orders against the CBI’s petition in the Supreme court, the next hearing of which is due for 20th February, politics have further geared up amongst the BJP camp as well as in TMC’s corridors.

While West Bengal chief minister Mamata Bannerjee has termed this decision of Supreme Court as her n the entire non BJP opposition’s victory the union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had termed it theirs.

While speaking to media union minister Ravi Shanker Prasad while hailing the apex court’s decision said that the police commissioner Rajiv Kumar was skipping the CBI warrants for the last three years n Mamata Deedi is protecting n patronising him tooth n nail raise suspicion about her act. Union minister Tomar too accused the TMC CM of patronising a wrong doer police officer involved in the multi crore Sharada scam and said that creating deliberate hiccups n bottlenecks in the way of CBI investigations through political drama of Dharna is highly uncalled for which the whole nation is witnessing. He added that Mamata Bannerjee is trying to exploit the situation to her advantage politically in view of the general elections likelt to take place after few months.

Addressing the press from her three day long Dharna sthal in Kolkatta right after the Supreme Courts verdict, Chief minister Mamata Bannerjee welcomed the apex court’s order and termed it as the victory of the people of the country, victory of democracy, constitution and the entire non BJP opposition.

She openly accused the BJP led NDA government of destroying the constitutional, democratic and federal institutions of the country and threatening the opposition ruled states, leaders and even the media with dire consequences n threat to put them in jails in case they do not toe the saffron party line or ideology.

There is an atmosphere of hate, terror and fear in the country and whosoever speak against the BJP or the government is threatened with dire consequences through the misuse of CBI n ED etc n arbitrary cases registered against them added Mamata Bannerjee.

Asked by mediamen about lifting of the Dharna since the apex court has now given its orders for the commissioner’s cooperation with the CBI, Mamata Bannerjee said that it’s not the TMC’s Dharna but of the entire opposition parties n any decision to withdraw or continue it would be taken in proper consultation with all the leaders of the grand alliance.

Today is the third day of Mamata Bannerjee’s Dharna and the issue was raised by the opposition in the parliament compelling the home minister Rajnath Singh to issue state on the vexed matter. The Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejrival visited the Dharna in Kolkatta and met Mamata to express his unstinted solidarity to the cause alingwith some other opposition leaders.