Senior IPS officer and former Commissioner of Kolkata Police, Rajeev Kumar, on Monday sent a letter to the Central Bureau of Investigation seeking additional time of seven days to appear before the agency. On Sunday evening, a group of CBI officers arrived at his residence in South Kolkata and served a notice on him in his absence asking him to appear before the agency on Monday.
During the day, a group of officers from West Bengal’s Criminal Investigation Department, which is headed by Mr. Rajeev Kumar, arrived at the Central Government Officers Complex in Salt Lake and submitted a letter to the agency. Mr. Kumar was reinstated as Additional Director General of CID on Sunday evening by the West Bengal government after the model code of conduct was lifted.
May move court
In the letter submitted to the CBI, Mr. Kumar said he was on leave due to personal reasons and sought a time of seven days to appear before the agency. Sources said Mr. Kumar is likely to move a court seeking anticipatory bail. The CBI is keen to question Mr. Kumar in connection with the multicrore chit fund case, as he has served as head of the Special Investigation Team probing the case on day-to-day basis.
After efforts to question Mr. Kumar hit a road block in February 2019 after a group of CBI officers were prevented from questioning him at his residence, the matter reached the Supreme Court, at whose intervention Mr. Kumar was interrogated at Shillong in Meghalaya.
Withdraws protection
On May 17, the Supreme Court withdrew the protection given to Mr. Kumar from arrest and asked the CBI to proceed as per law. The court also asked Mr. Kumar to approach a competent court for anticipatory bail in West Bengal.
