Journalist Mathew Samuel has been summoned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to be questioned regarding the Narada Sting operation case. The CBI served him a summoning notice on Tuesday, instructing him to appear before their investigating officers at the CBI office in Kolkata on April 4, 2024, around 11 am.
Expressing his disappointment with the progress of the investigation, Mathew Samuel criticized the fact that accused individuals from both the ruling party and the opposition were freely joining various political parties. He questioned the efficacy of the efforts and sacrifices made by individuals like himself.
In a statement, Mathew indicated that he viewed the summoning during election times as merely political drama and expressed his unwillingness to participate in such activities. He requested that any further investigation should be directed by the Honourable Kolkata High Court.
Furthermore, Mathew, who is currently based in Bengaluru, stated that he would not be able to travel to Kolkata at such short notice. He demanded that the CBI bear his travel and hotel expenses if they wished to summon him to Kolkata.
The Narada Sting operation case involves a video released before the 2016 Assembly elections in West Bengal, where several Trinamool Congress leaders were allegedly caught on hidden camera accepting bribes from Mathew Samuel. Since then, the CBI has been investigating the case, leading to the arrest of one SP rank officer in West Bengal named SMH Mirza in 2019.
Mathew Samuel has been questioned multiple times by the CBI in connection with the sting operation, and his electronic devices have been seized for forensic examination.
