Kolkata: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) summoned Iqbal Ahmed – Trinamool Congress MLA and Deputy Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) – in connection with the Narada sting operation case.
Iqbal, a MLA from Khanakul in Hooghly district, was seen in the video allegedly accepting a bribe. “We asked him to meet us at Nizam Palace in Kolkata on June 10 at 11 am,” a CBI officer said.
“We got some evidence and figures which needed to be clarified. Our officers will interrogate him and based on that, the next course of action will be decided,” said the official.
The sting operation case was conducted by Narada news in West Bengal to expose the corrupt practices of ministers in the Mamata Banerjee-government. The sting was conducted over a period of two years.
Ahead of the 2016 Assembly elections in West Bengal videos of sting operations were released, sending ripples across the political fraternity in the country.
Videos showed 13 TMC ministers and leaders accepting bribes in return for favours and misusing official positions.
The Narada sting operation caused a major embarrassment for the state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee because it came at time when TMC was already under criticism from opposition parties for the Saradha chit-fund scam.
Those seen in the Narada sting tapes were – Firhad Hakim, Mukul Rai, Saugata Roy, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Sultan Ahmed, Subrata Mukherjee, Subhendu Adhikari, Sovan Chatterjee, Aparupa Poddar, Madan Mitra, Iqbal Ahmed, Prasun Banerjee and HMS Mirza
On March 17, 2017, Calcutta High Court ordered a preliminary probe to be conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the sting operation case. The court also directed the CBI to register an FIR, if required, against those who were involved in the case.
On April 17, CBI filed charge sheet against 13 TMC leaders and others in the Narada sting case. All of them were booked under Section 120 B of IPC (criminal conspiracy), Section 13 (2), 13 (1D) and Section 7 of Prevention of Corruption Act.
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