Kolkata, April 22: Actress-turned-politician and former Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member from Basirhat constituency in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, Nusrat Jahan on Wednesday morning appeared at the Enforcement Directorate (ED)’s office at Salt Lake on the northern outskirts of Kolkata to face interrogation in relation to the ration distribution case.
Accompanied by her partner and co-actor Yash Dasgupta, Nusrat Jahan arrived at the ED’s office at the Central Government Office (CGO) complex at around 10.45 A.M, carrying along with her a number of documents which the investigating officials of the ED had asked her to bring. Sources aware of the development said that initially Jahan had requested the ED for permission to appear at the agency’s headquarters in New Delhi since she was supposed to be in the national Capital on Wednesday.
However, since the ED rejected her plea on this count, she ultimately arrived at the ED’s Salt Lake office on Wednesday. Incidentally, Jahan’s appearance at the ED’s office is just a day before the first phase of the crucial two-phase West Bengal Assembly elections on Thursday. During the Covid-19 lockdown, several trucks were seized in border areas of West Bengal’s Basirhat on charges of smuggling wheat and rice to Bangladesh.
Nusrat was the Basirhat MP at that time. According to ED sources, several names have surfaced during the investigation into the alleged ration smuggling, and officials intend to question her regarding wheat smuggling to Bangladesh. Earlier, in 2023 the ED had also questioned Nusrat in connection with a flat fraud case for about six hours at the CGO Complex.
BJP leader Shankudeb Panda had accused the actress of involvement in the alleged fraud and had lodged a complaint with the ED. The chargesheet stated that in 2014–15, a company had collected Rs 5.5 lakh each from more than 400 senior citizens, promising flats of around 1,000 square feet. However, neither the flats were delivered nor was the money returned. Nusrat was a director in the company. However, she has denied all the allegations.
IANS
