India’s federal probe agency CBI on Monday arrested West Bengal ministers Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee, Trinamool Congress MLA Madan Mitra and former Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee in connection with the Narada sting case.
The CBI’s decision to make high-profile arrests came after Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar granted sanction to prosecute all the four leaders. However, West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee termed the arrests illegal.
Banerjee said that the probe agency had not approached him for the sanction. “I have not received any letter from the CBI nor has anybody sought permission from me as per the protocol,” Banerjee was quoted by news agency PTI.
Banerjee said that the Chair of the Speaker was ‘not vacant’ adding that he was ‘very much in office.’
“This sanction is absolutely illegal and arresting anyone on the basis of this sanction is also illegal,” Banerjee added.
The development evoked angry reactions from the TMC supporters, who staged a protest outside the CBI office in Kolkata. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee too arrived at the CBI office immediately after four of her top colleagues were picked up by the central government agency.
The CBI, which reports to the BJP-led government at the Centre headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, arrested top leaders from the Trinamool Congress just days after the Hindutva party suffered an election defeat in Bengal.
Despite running a high-octane campaign, the BJP had failed to prevent TMC chief Mamata Banerjee from winning a landslide in the just-concluded assembly polls.