By IANS,
Agartala : The Tripura government Friday ordered a CID inquiry into the alleged links between a Bangladeshi arms dealer and Sahid Chowdhury, who resigned as the state food and minority affairs minister Thursday, officials said here Friday.
“Senior officials of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) would soon start the probe into the alleged nexus between the minister and Bangladeshi arms trader Mamun Mian alias Suman Majumdar and his action plan,” said Priyotosh Das, a police spokesman.
The Tripura police last week ordered an inquiry by the police (special branch) and filed a case Thursday against Mamun Mian with the west Kotowali police station here.
Mamun Mian, a resident of Pallabi, on the outskirts of Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, was arrested last month and now is in police custody in Kolkata. According to the police, he, along with two associates, entered India late last year.
“The Tripura police may seek Mamun’s transit remand in connection with the inquiry here,” Das told IANS.
The issue has rocked the state during the past two weeks. Opposition parties, including the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have been demanding the minister’s resignation and as well as a judicial or CBI inquiry into the controversy.
On the recommendation of Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, state Governor Dinesh Nandan Sahaya Thursday night accepted Chowdhury’s resignation. His portfolios are now with the chief minister.
Chowdhury, however, said all allegations against him were “totally baseless and unfounded”.
“The minister may re-enter the cabinet if the inquiry finds him innocent… No body will be inducted in the cabinet to replace him for the time being,” said Finance Minister Badal Chowdhury, who is also a Central Committee (CC) member of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).
The party also said it was investigating the matter.
“The party (CPI-M) is inquiring about the exact nature of the relation between the duo,” said Bijon Dhar, a CPI-M CC member.
“CPI-M has never allowed such nexus for the interest of the nation and people,” Dhar told reporters.
Chowdhury’s supporters held demonstrations and blocked roads in different parts of west Tripura Friday demanding his reinstatement.
Chowdhury was elected to the assembly in the Feb 23 assembly election from the Boxanagar constituency in west Tripura for the third time and became cabinet minister for the first time.