A day after the CBI summoned Bengal Ministers -Madan Mitra, Shyamapada Mukherjee and Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Srinjoy Basu, the central agency probing the Saradha multi-crore chit fund case on Thursday issued summons to senior Congress leader Somen Mitra.
Its senior officers told the media that summons would also be issued to senior CPI(M) leader and former Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta in a day or two.
"I have not yet received any letter from the CBI but if I am called then certainly I will go, because it makes me curious as to why I have been summoned" Somen Mitra, a former Trinamool Congress MP and an ex-PCC president said.
The CBI officials had come to know after grilling jailed East Bengal Club official Nitu Sarkar that Mitra was aware of his financial transactions with Saradha boss Sudipto Sen. The sleuths had earlier found that Sen had paid crores of rupees to East Bengal Club through Nitu Sarkar but instead of that money being used for the Club's purposes it was siphoned off to some other "mysterious sources."
On why the CBI was planning to summon Dasgupta, officials said a number of men questioned earlier had taken his name. His former confidential assistant Ganesh Dey was also being summoned, sources said. According to sources, Sudipto Sen had met Dasgupta sometime in 2008 in the initial years of his launching the chit fund business in Bengal.
Earlier senior CPI(M) leader Rabin Deb had been called by the Enforcement Directorate.
"CBI or for that matter any investigation agency is authorised to summon anyone in the interest of investigation. Only a summon does not prove the guilt" Congress MlA and former PCC president leader in the State Assembly Manas Bhunia said.
Meanwhile, Bengal Transport Minister Madan Mitra on Thursday said he had received the summons and would "definitely meet the CBI when I am fit to do so. Now I am in the hospital and am undergoing treatment."