Will get in touch once I return to city: Rituparna tells ED

KOLKATA: On Wednesday (June 5), Bengali actress Rituparna Sengupta was asked to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the alleged ration distribution scam in Bengal. She was summoned at the CGO Complex in Kolkata at 11 am. However, the actress is currently abroad. She has informed the ED via email that it is not possible for her to visit the CGO Complex at this time. The actress has assured that she will get in touch once she returns to the country.

According to initial reports, the ED had summoned the ‘Drishtikone’ actress for questioning based on transaction information from the bank. “I was very surprised to hear this. I have no idea about it. What is the ration scam? I don’t know,” the actress had earlier stated.

On June 7, Rituparna and Prosenjit Chatterjee’s 50th film, ‘Ajogyo’ is up for release. Just before the film’s release, this news did come as a shock to the actress. “I have a film releasing soon. I have worked hard as an actress for a long time and it is not right to make accusations against anyone,” the actress had informed.

At that time Jadavpur TMC Lok Sabha candidate Saayoni Ghosh (now MP) also came forward in support of Rituparna. “It can be a conspiracy too. Only ED knows what it does. Earlier too, Ritu di was summoned by ED and I’m sure, this time, too, she will handle it well,” she said. In 2019, Rituparna was summoned by the ED in connection to the Rose Valley Ponzi scam. It was reported that she had accompanied Rose Valley Group chairman Gautam Kundu on several foreign trips, allegedly assisting in the sale and production of films.