Bishnupur MP grilled for extorting money

Kolkata: Bishnupur MP Soumitra Khan who recently defected to the BJP from the Trinamul Congress was questionned by the Bankura district police on Monday in connection with multiple cases.

He arrived at Andal Airport in the morning. At around 11 am, Mr Khan went to Durgapur police station in Burdwan West where he appeared before the cops led by deputy superintendent of police (administration) Dilip Karmakar and inspector-in-charge of the Barjora police station Arup Sarkar.

The cops grilled him in cases against him at Barjora, Bishnupur and Bankura Sadar police stations. The allegations included extorting money from job aspirants on false promises. After recording his statements, the police allowed him to go however.

According to sources, Mr Khan claimed that he was being targeted by the Mamata Banerjee government out of political vendetta.

In January this year, he switched to the BJP following the footsteps of Mukul Roy. The Trinamul quickly expelled him from the party. A day after his joining, the police arrested his personal secretary Sushanta Da, alias Gopi, in a case on charges under the Arms Act. Mr Khan moved the Calcutta High Court for relief assuming he may be arrested. The high court then ordered that he could not be arrested. It however barred him from entering Bankura where his parliamentary constituency is located.

Due to the court order, the police decided to go out of the district to grill him for investigation. It is however not clear whether Mr Khan would get a ticket from the BJP to contest the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.

During the day, Mr Roy pointed out that Mr Khan was booked in four cases after he joined the BJP. On the selection of BJP candidates for the Lok Sabha polls, he however claimed that neither he nor state BJP unit was entrusted for the task.

Mr Roy added that the central parliamentary committee would select the candidates.