The detention of eight Central Bureau of Investigation officials by Kolkata police has triggered a tense showdown between the government of Narendra Modi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, reports The Times of India.
Published : 04 Feb 2019, 09:32 AM
Eight CBI officials had come to question Kolkata police chief Rajeev Kumar in connection with two Ponzi schemes.
Several hundred Kolkata police personnel surrounded the CBI’s offices in the city and forcibly took the officials to a nearby police station.
“They came to the commissioner of police’s home without any court order or warrant. The matter is sub judice in the Kolkata High Court and there is a stay order. This is blatantly wrong and an infringement on our federal structure,” she said.
"There is total constitutional breakdown. It is my job to protect my officers," the chief minister said on Sunday evening. "They [the BJP] cannot fight is politically. That's why they are resorting to all this."
Banerjee then launched a sit-in protest, known as a dharna, in central Kolkata accompanied by police chief Rajeev Kumar. The protest entered its second day on Tuesday.
"This is a Satyagraha and I'll continue till the country is saved," Banerjee said, citing the form of protest developed by Mahatma Gandhi.
Several leaders of the Indian opposition have voiced their support for Banerjee over the incident, including Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Tejashwi Yadav.
I spoke with Mamata Di tonight and told her we stand shoulder to shoulder with her.
The happenings in Bengal are a part of the unrelenting attack on India’s institutions by Mr Modi & the BJP.
The entire opposition will stand together & defeat these fascist forces.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) February 3, 2019
The CBI has announced that it will move the Supreme Court to initiative contempt of court proceedings against Rajeev Kumar for obstructing an investigation into chit fund scams.