E-Paper
Abhishek Banerjee's sister-in-law Menaka stopped from flying, summoned by ED
Bengal coal smuggling case: This is the third time Menaka Gambhir was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate in the coal smuggling case. She has earlier been questioned by the CBI in the case.
Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee's sister-in-law Menaka Gambhir was on Saturday reported to have been stopped at the Kolkata airport and denied permission to travel abroad as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) served her a notice to appear before the agency on Monday in connection to the coal smuggling case. Abhishek, who is also the nephew of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, had also appeared before the probe agency just two weeks ago at its office in Delhi.
Menaka was stopped by the immigration authorities at the Kolkata airport while catching a flight to Bangkok on Saturday night, who then informed the ED. She was handed over summons to join the investigation in the money laundering case. There was also a look out circular issued against Gambhir by the federal probe agency which is why she was stopped. This is the third time ED has summoned Menaka Gambhir in the case.
Earlier, she challenged the ED to summon in Calcutta High Court and was allowed to appear at ED's office at the Central Government Office (CGO) at Salt Lake in the northern outskirts of Kolkata, instead of appearing in New Delhi.
TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who was questioned by the agency on September 2 for close to eight hours, hit out at Union home minister Amit Shah and “dared” him to prove that he was guilty.
Slamming the home minister and his son Jay Shah who is secretary on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the Diamond Harbour MP said, “The father is trying to teach nationalism to the nation but his son refused to touch the national flag after India recently defeated Pakistan.”
The ED had lodged a case under the provisions of the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) based on a November 2020 FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that alleged a multi-crore coal pilferage scam related to Eastern Coalfields Limited mines in the state's Kunustoria and Kajora areas in and around Asansol.
Last year, on February 21, a CBI team arrived at the door of Abhishek's house and summoned his wife Rujira and his sister-in-law Menaka Gambhir over an alleged connection in the case.
Both the CBI and the ED have conducted several investigations in West Bengal in the recent months, drawing sharp reactions from the state's chief minister and Trinamool leaders that the BJP at Centre was using the central agencies for electoral gains.
(With agency inputs)
