ED summons TMC candidate Debasish Kumar for third time

Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress candidate from Rashbehari Assembly Constituency, Debasish Kumar, has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) again for the third time in the past two weeks.

Kumar, who also serves as a Member-Mayor-in-Council (Parks & Squares) at the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, was summoned on April 1 following raids conducted on March 28 across the city and its adjoining areas in connection with an alleged illegal land-grabbing and investment fraud case. The probe reportedly centres on allegations that the entity collected funds from investors by promising unusually high returns and later defaulted.

The places where the searches were conducted on March 28 include the office of an organisation and the residences of its functionaries. The probe reportedly centres on allegations that the entity collected funds from investors by promising unusually high returns and later defaulted.

It was learnt that the central agency had initiated its investigation based on around 17 FIRs registered at different police stations in the state. During the searches, after checking the documents, Kumar’s name reportedly surfaced, following which he was summoned. On April 3, Kumar was summoned for the second time, which he complied with. Again on Thursday, Kumar was asked to appear before the ED officials for questioning.

The development has triggered a political slugfest ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls. The Trinamool Congress alleged that central agencies were being used to target its leaders during the election season. Controversy also cropped up over summoning Kumar at a time when candidates are busy with their election campaign.