Saradha scam: CBI summons Congress leader's aide

Kolkata, Sep 6: Continuing its probe into the multi-crore rupee Saradha scam, the CBI has summoned Badal Bhattacharya, a close aide of senior Congress leader Somen Mitra, for questioning.

Besides Bhattacharya, the agency has summoned Prasanta Pramanik, an associate of Bapi Karim - a former confidential assistant to West Bengal Sports and Transport Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Madan Mitra.

Somen Mitra, who quit the Trinamool Congress earlier this year, expressed surprise over Bhattacharya's summoning by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

"I am surprised that a man who has no links with the scam has been summoned. I don't know why he has been summoned, things will become clear only after he appears before the CBI," said Somen Mitra about Bhattacharya, who had worked as his chief election agent.

Meanwhile, Saradha promoter and scam kingpin Sudipta Sen, his close aide Debjani Mukherjee and suspended Trinamool Congress MP Kunal Ghosh have been presented before a city court. The CBI is hoping to secure their custody once again.

Meanwhile, a Congress delegation led by state party president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury Saturday met Governor K.N. Tripathi over a host of issues, including the scam.

"We met the governor and urged him to ensure that the ruling party's endeavour to thwart the CBI probe into the scam is prevented and rule of law is upheld," Chowdhury said after the meeting.

IANS