TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee’s wife Rujira skips ED summons in coal smuggling case

TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee's wife Rujira skipped the Enforcement Directorate's summons in the coal smuggling case on Tuesday.

All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee’s wife Rujira Banerjee failed to appear before the Enforcement Directorate for questioning in the coal smuggling case on Tuesday, sources told India Today. Rujira Banerjee was summoned by the ED after the Delhi High Court refused to grant any relief to the parliamentarian and his wife.

Abhishek Banerjee was questioned for over eight hours in Delhi by the financial probe agency in the coal smuggling case on Monday. Abhishek Banerjee alleged that the ED was working at the behest of the Centre. He said the ED should question him and his wife in Kolkata and not in Delhi.

Rujira Banerjee had also skipped the agency’s earlier summons in September last year. She said that travelling to Delhi would “put her life in grave danger amid pandemic”.

In a letter addressed to the investigative officer on August 31, she said, “I am a mother of two infants and travelling to New Delhi physically alone in the midst of pandemic will put mine and the lives of my children at grave risk.”

“Besides, as per my understanding, the alleged cause of action of the subject matter of your enquiry arises out of West Bengal I assure you every cooperation from my side,” she had said.

In February this year, Rujira Banerjee had been summoned by the CBI.

During its probe, the ED allegedly discovered that two companies — Leaps and Bound Pvt Ltd and Leaps and Bound Management Services LLP — with links to Abhishek Banerjee and his family received protection funds amounting to Rs 4.37 crore from a construction company via the accused in the alleged coal smuggling case, sources told India Today.