Bankura cop held in coal case; BJP, TMC spar over audio tape claims

KOLKATA/BANKURA: The Enforcement Directorate late on Saturday arrested Bankura police station inspector-in-charge (IC) Ashok Mishra in the ongoing illegal coal mining probe.
Three weeks back, police had arrested Vikas Mishra, brother of Vinay Mishra, implicated by both ED and CBI as among the key accused in the case.
On Sunday, BJP, citing an audio tape conversation, alleged that the “real” beneficiaries were political patrons of those being probed; Trinamool Congress dubbed the allegations “unverifiable and wild” and “an act of desperation”.
The CBI, which too is probing the case, has already questioned the Bankura police officer. Earlier, ED had summoned him twice but he cited health reasons for not appearing before the agency.
Three weeks back, Ashok reached New Delhi for treatment. On Saturday, the agency asked him to appear at its office in New Delhi. After questioning him for more than seven hours, agency officials arrested him. The ED has sought six days’ custody of Ashok. Incidentally, Vikas too was arrested in New Delhi. The cop is related to the Mishra brothers, sources said.
ED sources indicated that Ashok’s name came up during Vikas’ interrogation. Agency officials have reasons to believe the cop may have helped the Mishra brothers in continuing the illegal coal trade. They claimed they also came across evidence that the three had spoken to each other several times in the past.
Anup Majee, also a key accused in the case, had moved the Supreme Court challenging CBI’s powers to probe the case since the Bengal government had withdrawn its general consent in 2018. The SC granted him interim protection from arrest. Majee had earlier moved the Calcutta High Court.
A little over 12 hours after the arrest, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, citing a purported conversation between two persons – one, who Suvendu claimed, was a businessman questioned by central agencies in this case – alleged that senior Trinamool leaders were the real beneficiaries of these crime proceeds.
“He (Ashok Mishra) was earlier posted at Diamond Harbour,” Suvendu said. “There are several other officials in West and East Burdwan, Bankura and Purulia who are also under the central agency radar,” he added.
Citing the audio tapes, Suvendu alleged that many facts relating to the “involvement” of senior TMC leaders had now been brought to the fore. Amit Malviya, Bengal BJP co-in-charge, alleged: “Chief minister Mamata Banerjee looked the other way.”
Trinamool reacted sharply. “The audio tapes are unverified. It shows two persons are talking to each other but there is nothing to prove their identity. Neither is any media taking responsibility of the veracity of these audio tapes. There is nothing to say and nothing to react on such unverified and wild claims,” said senior leader Subrata Mukherjee.
Trinamool’s Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien said: “The first two phases have been a disaster for BJP, and they are trying mind games now. There is nothing to prove in those audio tapes and hence there is nothing to react.”
Trinamool state spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said: “Adhikari claims to know a lot of things. He was part of the state cabinet till December. Who stopped him from speaking out then?”