The Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday questioned Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat in connection with an alleged sting operation showing that he attempted to strike a deal with dissident MLAs through some middlemen.
“Mr. Rawat was questioned for about two hours. He will be summoned again, if necessary,” said a CBI official. The agency had earlier quizzed Mr. Rawat on May 24.
Stating that he was cooperating with the CBI, Mr. Rawat demanded thorough investigations into the sequence of events leading up to the day when the alleged sting operation was made public. He said the role of eight to nine MLAs needed to be examined and that the agency should also check CCTV footage of Dehra Dun airport to determine who all were in town on March 26 when the “sting” CDs were released.
Alleging blackmail, Mr. Rawat had earlier sought a probe into the background of the journalist who conducted the “sting” against him.
The CDs were released by nine rebel Congress MLAs, who alleged that attempts were made to bribe them for their support in the State Assembly. Hours later, the Centre imposed President’s rule in Uttarakhand. A day before Mr. Rawat was to face vote of confidence in the Assembly, the CBI summoned him in connection with a preliminary enquiry into the “sting” instituted in the last week of April following a recommendation by the Governor-led State government.
Mr. Rawat sought more time. After he won the trust vote, the State cabinet on May 15 withdrew the consent for CBI probe. However, the CBI chose to discard the notification terming it as “legally not tenable”.
The agency has already recorded statements of several witnesses. Among them is Umesh Kumar, the chief executive officer and editor-in-chief of Noida-based TV channel Samachar Plus, who had conducted the “sting”.
