While the three arrested Jharkhand Congress MLAs accused of horse-trading to topple the Jharkhand government have got conditional interim bail for three months, the Crime Investigation Department (CID) is now set to appeal for an arrest warrant against Ashok Dhanuka on Thursday, said sources.
On July 30, three Congress MLAs from Jharkhand — Irfan Ansari, Rajesh Kachchap and Naman Bixal Kongari — were arrested by the West Bengal Police after over Rs 49 lakh in cash was seized from a car in which they were travelling.
CID sources say Dhanuka is the influential businessman of Assam who was instrumental in providing money to the arrested MLAs.
Earlier, the CID had summoned Dhanuka, but he did not turn up.
THE LINK
Sources in CID say that Guwahati-based businessmen, Ashok Dhanuka and Siddharth Majumdar, facilitated the funding for ‘Operation Lotus’ in Jharkhand. Dhanuka has close relations with top brass of Assam politics.
The Bengal CID team went to raid Majumdar, but they got stoppage from local police. High drama ensued between the CID and Delhi Police. The CID had to send their seniors to sort out the matter. Not only this, the CID claimed that for some time they were also stopped in Guwahati. Majumdar is absconding.
DID BENGAL SAVE JHARKHAND GOVT?
The Howrah Police arrested the MLAs, but the case was immediately transferred to the CID. Investigation revealed that the arrest has political implications across Assam, Bengal and Jharkhand.
Another Congress MLA Anup Singh claimed that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma offered the money to him and the MLAs to topple the Jharkhand government.
After his claim, BJP minister from Assam Piyush Hazarika released a photograph showing Singh meeting Sarma for breakfast.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) in a press conference claimed the money was “absolutely meant to topple the Jharkhand government”.
WHAT HAPPENED ON TUESDAY?
On Tuesday, the witnesses in this case identified the accused. Sources said witnesses are those who saw one of the MLAs taking the money.
The MLAs have got the bail on a bond of Rs 1 lakh each. They cannot leave Kolkata and have to appear before the investigation officers once a week. Their passports will remain impounded.
The case will be tried at the special MP-MLA court.
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