Days after the Trinamool Congress alleged that a Bharatiya Janata Party leader carrying cash in an envelope visited a Superintendent of Police with the National Investigation Agency at the latter’s home near Kolkata, the NIA has asked the officer to report to its Delhi headquarters, The Indian Express reports.

Simultaneously, a Deputy Inspector General (DIG) from Patna has been transfereed to West Bengal to oversee ongoing cases.

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On Monday, the TMC lodged a complaint with the Election Commission (EC), accusing the BJP of exploiting the NIA to target its political adversaries. The TMC specifically accused a BJP member named Jitendra Tiwari of visiting the residence of NIA SP Dhan Ram Singh on March 26. The party provided a copy of the visitor’s log from Singh’s residence, purportedly indicating Tiwari’s presence.

According to the TMC, Tiwari was observed entering with a parcel in hand, which he reportedly didn’t have upon leaving an hour later.

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Singh joined the NIA on deputation from the Border Security Force (BSF) in 2014. DIG Rakesh Roshan has been assigned the additional responsibility of overseeing the West Bengal branch.

When contacted by The Indian Express on Tuesday for a comment, Singh disconnected the phone call. Although the NIA spokesperson was unavailable for comment, a source within the NIA stated that Singh’s visit to the Delhi headquarters was a routine matter and that the DIG responsible had indeed been dispatched to West Bengal.

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Jitendra Tiwari, a former Mayor who had a significant tenure with the TMC before switching to the BJP, holds recognition in the Hindi-belt region of Bardhaman-Asansol.

While addressing a press conference on Sunday, TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh, accompanied by state minister Chandrima Bhattacharya, alleged that Tiwari was seen carrying a white envelope containing money upon entering the housing complex where Singh resides. The TMC further asserted that Tiwari had a 52-minute meeting with the NIA SP on March 26, and on April 6, two TMC workers were arrested from Bhupatinagar in connection with a blast case from 2022.

Tiwari rejected the charge and demanded an apology from the TMC.

“If it is proved that we held any such meeting, then I will leave politics. Feeling the pressure, the TMC is trying to brand the NIA raid as a political conspiracy. According to the laws of our country, they (TMC) should prove the allegations against me. Apologise if you can’t prove it, or I will file a defamation case within seven days,” he said.

BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar defended Tiwari, stating any citizen can meet NIA officers regarding terrorist activities. He dismissed the allegations as baseless, citing the complexity of identifying visitors in a large housing complex. Meanwhile, TMC nominated actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha for Asansol, while BJP’s initial choice, Bhojpuri singer Pawan Singh, withdrew amid criticism.