CBI summons TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee's kin for questioning in coal scam on March 15

KOLKATA: The Central Bureaus of Investigation (CBI) has summoned the brother-in-law of TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee on March 15 in connection with an illegal coal-mining case, officials said on Friday.

Ankush Arora, the husband of Abhishek Banerjee's sister-in-law Menaka Gambhir, and his father Pawan Arora have been asked to appear before the investigating officer in the case on March 15, they said.

West Bengal: CBI summons Abhishek Banerjee's sister-in-law Maneka’s husband and father-in-law for questioning on March 15th, at its Kolkata office, in connection with coal scam. — ANI (@ANI) March 12, 2021

The central probe agency recently questioned Banerjee's wife Rujira and sister-in-law Menaka Gambhir in the case pertaining to illegal coal mining and pilferage from the mines of the Eastern Coalfields Limited.

West Bengal is set to witness an eight-phase Assembly election starting March 27 and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is leading a vigorous campaign in the state to oust the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), which had secured consecutive electoral wins in 2011 and 2016 under its leader Mamata Banerjee.

Abhishek Banerjee, the Lok Sabha MP from the Diamond Harbour constituency and the nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, wields considerable influence in the party and has been leading the TMC's counter-attack in the run-up to the Assembly polls.