Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar insists on video recording of questioning by CBI: Report

Rajiv Kumar and ex-TMC MP Kunal Ghosh will appear for questioning at the CBI office in Shillong on Sunday.

KOLKATA: Startling details have emerged from several hours of the CBI questioning of Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar in connection with Saradha and Rose Valley chit fund scam cases on Saturday. 

Insiders revealed that Kumar is insisting that the entire proceedings be recorded right at the beginning of the questioning on Sunday, leaving no scope for the agency to allege non-cooperation on his part. 

“He had always been cooperating with the agency. He insisted that the agency record the session so that no allegations surface against him that he did not cooperate. The agency had agreed to his request and the entire 8-hour session was video recorded,” said an officer close to him. 

The CBI had claimed in the apex court that Kumar allegedly tampered crucial evidence in the Rose Valley and Saradha chit fund scam. In line with the order, the apex court had asked him to ‘cooperate’ with the officers of the CBI. 

Kumar was grilled for almost eight hours by CBI sleuths on Saturday at the CBI’s Shillong unit in connection with the Rose Valley and the Saradha chit fund scam cases.

Sources in the CBI reveal that he has been asked to appear before the agency for questioning again on Sunday to get more details on the investigation that was carried out by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by Kumar. 

Kumar was questioned by the special team of 10 officers constituted by the CBI. Sources in the agency reveal that a 22-page questionnaire was prepared by the agency to question him. In line with the Supreme Court order, Kumar was asked to appear before the CBI at Shillong – a mutually accepted location by both Kumar and the CBI.

This apart, ex-TMC MP Kunal Ghosh will also be questioned by the CBI officers in Shillong Sunday in connection with the Saradha Chit Fund Scam. 

"Ghosh has on several occasions claimed that Kumar had tried to influence the investigation. We may make Ghosh and Kumar sit face to face for questioning tomorrow," said a CBI officer on the condition of anonymity. 

The Kolkata Police commissioner arrived in the capital city of Meghalaya on Friday along with his lawyer Biswajit Deb and two other IPS officers – deputy commissioner of Kolkata Police (Special Task Force) Murlidhar Sharma and Additional and Joint Commissioner of Kolkata Police (HQ) Jawed Shamim.

He stayed at a heritage hotel in Shillong – Tripura Castle and reached the Shillong CBI located at Oakland at 11 AM and left the office at 7.15 PM after questioning. 

On the other hand, a team of CBI officials started arriving Shillong from Friday onwards.

A CBI team led by a DIG rank officer, Vivek Dutt, several SP, additional SP and Deputy SP rank officers questioned Kumar.

The Supreme Court had on Tuesday, directed Kumar to appear before the CBI in Shillong in connection with the two scams.

However, the court had also said that the CBI cannot arrest Kumar.