ED Summons Mahua Moitra, Mukul Roy, and Dev for Questioning; Mamata Denounces 'Political Harassment'

Mahua Moitra, a former Trinamul MP, actor turned MP Deepak Adhikari, also known as Dev, and senior party member Mukul Roy have all been called to Delhi by the Enforcement Directorate to appear in court on different charges.

Mahua, Dev, and Roy—who rejoined to Trinamul in 2021 after a period with the BJP—have all been asked to appear for interrogation on February 19, February 21, and February 16.


Following a recommendation from the Lokpal, Mahua—who was disqualified as an MP for allowing outsiders to influence the questions she answered in the Lok Sabha—will be the subject of a first CBI investigation.

Senior ED officials said that Mahua's remarks will be documented in accordance with the Foreign Exchange Management Act. The ED is looking into a particular element of the issue.

According to ED authorities, Dev, an MP from Ghatal in West Midnapore, has been called in as part of the agency's investigation into the money trail associated with a suspected cattle smuggling scheme.

Developer. Developer.
Ananda Adhikari in the picture
After causing a stir lately by stepping down from three party committees in his area, Dev ultimately made the decision to stay in Trinamul. It takes a few days for him to get a summons from the ED.

A day after seeing Mamata and holding a quick discussion with the national general secretary of the party, Abhishek Banerjee, Dev had said on Sunday how much he valued Mamata's viewpoint. He had said, "Even if I want to leave politics, politics will not leave me."

Mamata had responded by agreeing to her "brother" Dev's request on Monday, stating that the state government will carry out the urgently required "Ghatal master plan" independently if the Center declined to provide the necessary funding.

A senior official from the ED said, "We will seek clarifications from him (Dev) on a few things that have emerged from our investigations so far in the cattle smuggling case," without providing specifics.

Leader of the Bengali opposition Suvendu Adhikari claims that Dev received Rs 5 crore for creating a movie from Enamul Haque, the main suspect in the cattle smuggling case.

In February 2022, Dev was questioned for more than five hours by the CBI, which is also looking into the livestock smuggling case. Subsequently, Dev said that he was unaware of Enamul Haque and had never transacted with him financially.

Suvendu said on Sunday that Dev was still being investigated by the CBI and the ED. Four days later, Dev received the summons.

Dev was not in the mood to talk. The 41-year-old MP had said he would respond to the summons, according to a person close to him.

Trinamul responded angrily at Dev's call.

The top leaders of the BJP were exerting pressure on Dev. Because he will not move, he is the target of harassment. Jo jhukega nahi, uske ghar me agency bhej dega BJP (The BJP would send agencies to a person's house if they refuse to bend)," said Kunal Ghosh, a spokesman for the Trinamul Congress.

"Our national general secretary, Abhishek, along with his family and associates, have also been subjected to harassment."

Mukul Roy has reportedly been called in for questioning by senior ED officers about a purported money-laundering case involving the deposit-mobilizing business Alchemist.

The main accusation made against Alchemist is that it raised Rs 1,900 crore from the market without getting the Securities and Exchange Board of India's required clearance.

K.D. Singh, the founder of Alchemist Infra Reality Limited and a former member of the Trinamul Rajya Sabha, was detained by the ED in January 2021 in relation to this case.

Subhranshu, Mukul's son and a former Trinamul MLA, said that he would not be able to go to Delhi due to his father's deteriorating health. "We will offer full cooperation if ED officials visit our home," he said.

Subsequently, sources from Trinamul said that Uttam Barik, the chairman of East Midnapore zilla parishad and MLA from Patashpur, had been summoned by the income-tax department to provide information about his earnings for the previous five years.

"They are using central agencies to arrest dissidents all over the country, but this is all being done through illegal means," Mamata had said to the Assembly earlier in the day. The BJP engages in both chaar-nombori (increased illegality) and du-nombori (regular illegality).

Mamata has steadfastly supported Mahua, a newly elected MP from Krishnanagar in Nadia, stating that even if the BJP had forced her to resign, the people will still support her when she returns.

Mahua is still a crucial pick for the party in the approaching Lok Sabha elections. One of the party's observers for the Krishnanagar area and a prominent member of Trinamul remarked on Thursday that Abhishek has total faith in her capacity to fight her own fights.

Mahua was named president of Trinamul's Krishnanagar district unit in November, taking Kallol Khan's position.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Press Time staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.