Kolkata Police commissioner-CBI meeting video-recorded, no scope for speculation, say officers

The meeting between Kolkata Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar and officers of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which took place in Shillong today, has been video-recorded. This was done at the request of Kumar, who insisted that the entire conversation be recorded. The Kolkata CP-CBI meeting will continue tomorrow in Shillong.

“It is to be noted that Kumar has been accused of not cooperating with the CBI and for tampering with proof. Why then would he insist on recording the entire session?” an officer asked. “This indicates that the allegations of non-cooperation are baseless,” he added.

Sources in Kolkata Police said that the entire session in which questions were placed before Kumar – for over seven hours – at the CBI office in Shillong was recorded so that if required, it can be used for subsequent reference. “It also leaves no room for doubt as to what questions he was asked and what his answers were,” a senior officer said. Officers said that it took some time for the question-answer session to begin, as the CBI officers were arranging for the video-recording.

There are allegations by the CBI that Kumar has refused to cooperate with the investigation of the Saradha chit fund scam, though the officer has insisted that he has shared all information and replied to all letters of the central investigating agency seeking his cooperation over the past few months.

With some reports emerging today that Kumar has refused to cooperate with the CBI officers during the meeting throughout the day at Shillong, a senior officer said there was no scope for non-cooperation as the entire discussion is on record. “There is no scope for speculation here,” he said.

The meeting took place in Shillong today after the Supreme Court directive that Kumar cannot be arrested and asking him to cooperate with the probe and to meet the CBI officers at a ‘neutral’ location as requested by him.

CBI has prepared a team of 10 officers for this “questioning”. Also, some of the accused who had been arrested earlier by the state police in connection with the Saradha chit fund investigation have been asked to be present in Shillong for a further discussion tomorrow.

Kunal Ghosh, former Trinamool Congress member of Parliament, who had been arrested by the Bengal police in this case, has been asked to be present at the meeting tomorrow.

There has been an unprecedented face-off between the Centre and the Bengal government over the issue as things reached a flashpoint last Sunday when CBI officers landed outside Kumar’s residence apparently to conduct a “secret” operation.