Kolkata Police-CBI face-off: Police send summons to CBI joint director in fresh twist

Kolkata: A day after a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team's failed attempt to question Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar at his residence in the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam, a city police team knocked CBI joint director (Kolkata Zone) Pankaj Srivastava's office and served him summons for his questioning in a fresh twist in the battle between the organisations.

On Monday afternoon a team of three cops of the Bhowanipore police station visited Srivastava's office at his office of the 16th floor of the Nizam Palace in south Kolkata and delivered the notice under section 160 of the Criminal Procedure Code to him, according to sources.

Sources revealed that Pankaj Srivastava, a 1992-batch IPS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, has been asked to appear at the Bhowanipore police station as a 'witness' for the recording of his statement in an old case of cheating of around Rs 45 lakhs. The case is related to the escape of an accused from the CBI custody in Howrah.

Srivastava said, "I have received the notice. I am exploring legal steps."

The timing of summons to the CBI joint director assumes significance as he had alleged how the CBI team, despite being armed with necessary documents, was not only barred from entering Kumar's residence in south Kolkata but also physically abused by the police personnel.

This was not the first time Srivastava became the target. Soon after the CBI team's visit to Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar's residence on Sunday evening, separate police teams rushed to Srivastava's residence also located at Nizam Palace and CBI office at CGO Complex in Salt Lake.

The entrance of the Nizam Palace on AJC Bose Road was closed. The police however retreated as the Central Reserve Police Force personnel, on the instructions of the ministry of home affairs, trooped in both the places for security cover.

On Monday the CRPF presence became thick with the deployment of additional troops.