After the former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar failed to show up on being summoned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the office of Chief Secretary wrote back to the agency. In their letter to the agency, the office of CS stated that Rajeev Kumar was on personal leave from September 9 to September 25. The copy of CBI’s summon was sent to the State Secretariat - Nabanna - and to Kumar's official residence at 34 Park Street. 

Kumar was summoned at the Central Government Office (CGO) complex in Kolkata for questioning in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam on Monday. Kumar was also asked to appear in front of the agency on Saturday as well, which he failed to do.  

Rajeev Kumar’s response to CBI 

Rajeev Kumar had written an email to the agency in which he asked for more time to appear in front of them, citing personal issues. The investigating agency on Sunday evening sent a two-member CBI team to Nabanna, the State Secretariat, to serve letters to West Bengal Police's DGP, Chief Secretary and Home Secretary of West Bengal government regarding Rajeev Kumar's appearance. The Secretariat being closed on Sunday, only DGP Virendra's letter was posted. The CBI officers reached the State Secretariat in Howrah again on Monday and delivered the letters to Chief Secretary Malay De and Home Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay on Kumar’s failure to show up for questioning. The letters dispatched also asked Rajeev Kumar to appear in front of his Salt Lake office by 2 pm on Monday. 

Read | Saradha case: CBI inquires about Rajeev Kumar at Bengal Secretariat

Read | CBI summons Rajeev Kumar after HC withdraws protection from arrest

Allegations on Rajeev Kumar 

Rajeev Kumar, who is currently the Additional Director General (ADG) of the Central Investigation Department (CID) of the West Bengal Police, was heading the SIT formed by West Bengal government to probe the Saradha Chit Fund case. Kumar was the Commissioner of Kolkata Police in February when a team of the CBI officials went to summon him at his erstwhile residence and were arrested by Kolkata Police. Kumar is known to be close to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who had then sat on a protest dharna after the incident. She had alleged that the BJP-led central government was using the CBI to arrest Kumar as a part of their political propaganda.

The CBI has been fighting this case alleging that as the head of Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the chit fund scam, Kumar was responsible for the "tampering" and "destruction" of evidence. The CBI also alleged that Kumar did not cooperate with them during rounds of investigation, hence CBI demanded a custodial interrogation of the former top cop.

Read | Rajeev Kumar's interim protection from CBI arrest withdrawn by HC

Read | Dramatic CBI vs Kolkata Police face-off spirals out of control, Mamata Banerjee sits on dharna and CBI mulls moving Supreme Court: 10 developments