News Analysis India

Tag: Bengal coal scam

  • Multi-crore Bengal coal pilferage case: CBI files charge sheet against 41 accused

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: The Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday named 41 people, including senior officials of Eastern Coalfields Ltd, in its charge sheet filed at a court in West Bengal’s Asansol in a multi-crore coal pilferage scam.

    Among others who find mention in the charge sheet are private companies and “unknown officials” of the CISF and Railways, a CBI statement said.

    “They entered into a conspiracy and in pursuance of that, fraudulently misappropriated coal from the coal reserve of leasehold areas under the dominion of ECL, and also from the coal stock parked in the Railway sidings for sale and supply,” it said.

    “It was further alleged that the said accused had obtained undue advantage in the form of huge and regular cash amount as bribe from said private person and facilitated misappropriation of coal from ECL leasehold area — and thereby extended undue protection & patronage to the illegal coal syndicate,” the statement added.

    Sleuths of the CBI have conducted search operations at several places in West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in connection with the case.

    Last month, the central probe agency had announced a reward of Rs one lakh for providing information about absconding former Trinamool Congress youth leader Vinay Mishra in the coal pilferage case.

    It had earlier questioned TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee’s wife Rujira Narula Banerjee twice.

    The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had also attached assets worth Rs 9.28 crore belonging to Mishra, his brother Vikas and prime accused Anup Majhi under the anti-money laundering law.

    The probe is continuing, the CBI said.

    KOLKATA: The Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday named 41 people, including senior officials of Eastern Coalfields Ltd, in its charge sheet filed at a court in West Bengal’s Asansol in a multi-crore coal pilferage scam.

    Among others who find mention in the charge sheet are private companies and “unknown officials” of the CISF and Railways, a CBI statement said.

    “They entered into a conspiracy and in pursuance of that, fraudulently misappropriated coal from the coal reserve of leasehold areas under the dominion of ECL, and also from the coal stock parked in the Railway sidings for sale and supply,” it said.

    “It was further alleged that the said accused had obtained undue advantage in the form of huge and regular cash amount as bribe from said private person and facilitated misappropriation of coal from ECL leasehold area — and thereby extended undue protection & patronage to the illegal coal syndicate,” the statement added.

    Sleuths of the CBI have conducted search operations at several places in West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in connection with the case.

    Last month, the central probe agency had announced a reward of Rs one lakh for providing information about absconding former Trinamool Congress youth leader Vinay Mishra in the coal pilferage case.

    It had earlier questioned TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee’s wife Rujira Narula Banerjee twice.

    The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had also attached assets worth Rs 9.28 crore belonging to Mishra, his brother Vikas and prime accused Anup Majhi under the anti-money laundering law.

    The probe is continuing, the CBI said.

  • CBI grills sister-in-law of Mamata’s nephew in coal pilferage case

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA: With less than two months to go for the Assembly polls in West Bengal, a team of eight CBI officers grilled the sister-in-law of Abhishek Banerjee, the nephew of CM Mamata Banerjee, at her south Kolkata residence in connection with a coal pilferage case.

    Meanwhile, the ED issued notice to the daughter of Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim in connection with suspicious fund siphoning overseas.

    The CBI had on Sunday issued a notice on Abhishek’s wife Rujira in the coal smuggling case. She responded on Monday saying she would be available at her residence from 11 am to 3 pm to reply to CBI’s questions.

    The CBI team had to wait outside the housing complex of Maneka Gambhir, Abhishek’s sister-in-law, for over 20 minutes as the guards did not allow the vehicles of the central agency to enter. The security guards told the officers that the journalists would enter the premises if their vehicles were allowed. However, the officers got of their vehicles and walked into Maneka’s apartment.

    ALSO READ | Illegal coal mining in Bengal: SC seeks CBI’s reply on plea challenging its jurisdiction to probe

    “We interrogated her for three hours and recorded her statement. She co-operated with us,” said a CBI officer, adding the agency might interrogate her again, if necessary.

    The CBI had registered an FIR in November 2020, against businessman Anup Kumar Majhi alias Lala and two general managers and security officials of the Eastern Coalfield Ltd (ECL). It is alleged that Manjhi is involved in illegal mining and theft of coal from leasehold mines of ECL.

    Since the FIR was lodged, the BJP, without naming Abhishek Banerjee, has been alleging involvement of several Trinamool Congress leaders and the “nephew”, who, they claimed, were instrumental in siphoning off the money earned from the sales of smuggled coal into the fund of the ruling party. In all the campaigns, BJP’s national leadership never missed opportunities to hit out at the Bengal CM on her nephew issue.