Bhupatinagar Blast Case: NIA Issues Summons to 3 TMC Leaders, party delegation to meet EC

The three leaders -- Manab Kumar Karaya, Subir Maity and Naba Kumar Ponda -- had skipped appearing before NIA officers when summoned for questioning last week. According to the NIA, the two arrested TMC leaders were 'not cooperating' with officers.

Kolkata:The National Investigation Agency has issued summons to three Trinamool Congress leaders asking them to appear before its officers for questioning in connection with the Bhupatinagar blast case, an official said on Monday. The three leaders -- Manab Kumar Karaya, Subir Maity and Naba Kumar Ponda -- have been asked to appear before NIA officers here on Monday, he said.

"Three TMC leaders have been summoned to our city office for questioning on Monday morning," the officer told PTI. The trio had skipped appearing before NIA officers when summoned for questioning last week. The two arrested TMC leaders were "not cooperating" with our officers, the NIA officer said.

A team of the NIA was allegedly attacked by a mob on Saturday when it went to arrest two main suspects in a 2022 Bhupatinagar blast case in Purba Medinipur district, sparking a political slugfest with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accusing the investigators of assaulting the villagers.

The NIA said one of its officers was injured and a vehicle was damaged in the attack that happened in Bhupatinagar. The attack on the NIA team happened around three months after villagers and locals assaulted a team of Enforcement Department (ED) officers when they went to raid the residence of, now arrested, TMC leader Sheikh Shajahan on January 5 in connection with the alleged ration scam.

Meanwhile, a ten-member TMC delegation departed from the Kolkata airport for Delhi on the day. They will be meeting the full bench of the Election Commission in Delhi, on April 08. The TMC set up a meeting with the Election Commission to demand justice after an NIA team arrested two TMC workers in connection with a 2022 blast on April 06.

TMC MP Dola Sen accused the BJP government is using central agencies like the NIA or ED for their work and demanded justice against it.

"Last week we went two times to the EC. We demanded that there should be a level playing field, and everyone should be given equal rights. The matter was raised with the Election Commission and we had said that since the election code of conduct has been implemented, all parties should get equal rights during this time... But the way the Central agencies are being used by the Central government is not right. Already two opposition CMs are behind bars, and conspiracies are going on here also.... Here two of our workers were arrested by the NIA... Today a team of 10 representatives is going to Delhi,” Sen said. (With agency inputs)