‘Will Come Down So Heavily, You Will Regret It’: SC Orders Kolkata Police Chief To Not Destroy Evidence

In an unprecedented face-off between the Bengal Chief Minister and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar, who is at the centre of this controversy, was given a sharp warning by the Supreme Court.

“If Kolkata Police Commissioner even remotely thinks of destroying evidence, bring the material before this court. We will come down so heavily on him that he will regret,” said Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi following Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) complaint that the top police officer refrained from contributing in the probe and made attempts of doing jiggery-pokery with the documents.

The judges have decided to hear the CBI petition on 5 February (Tuesday) and have asked the Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta to file an affidavit which shall enlist all the points.

CBI’s Interim Director Nageswara Rao has accused Kumar of tampering with evidence relating to the chit fund cases. “There is evidence against him (Rajeev Kumar), he has been instrumental in causing the destruction of this evidence and obstructing justice,” said Rao, reports Hindustan Times.

The CBI officers were arrested by the Kolkata police in a bizarre turn of events, and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was seen rushing to Kumar’s residence. The CBI team was taken to Shakespeare Sarani police station and then released around 8:40 pm on the instructions of Banerjee.