ED summons TMC ex-MP Nusrat Jahan in 2020 ration smuggling case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned actor and former Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Nusrat Jahan in connection with its ongoing probe into an alleged 2020 ration smuggling case in West Bengal, officials said.

Jahan has been asked to appear before the central agency at its Salt Lake office in Kolkata on April 22 for questioning.

However, sources indicate that the actor, who is currently abroad on vacation, has sought permission to depose at the ED’s headquarters in New Delhi instead.

No official response has yet been issued by Jahan regarding the summons.

The case pertains to the alleged large-scale diversion of Public Distribution System (PDS) food grains, particularly wheat, meant for welfare schemes.

The ED initiated its investigation based on a First Information Report (FIR) registered by West Bengal Police at Basirhat Police Station on October 23, 2020, following a complaint from the Deputy Commissioner of Customs at the Ghojadanga Land Customs Station.

According to officials, the alleged racket dates back to the COVID-19 lockdown period, when multiple trucks carrying wheat and rice were intercepted in the border areas of Basirhat.

These consignments were suspected to be illegally smuggled across the India-Bangladesh border.

At the time, Jahan was serving as the Member of Parliament from Basirhat, prompting the agency to seek her questioning as part of its probe.

Sources within the ED said that several individuals and entities have come under scrutiny during the investigation, with financial transactions linked to the suspected smuggling network now being examined.

While the agency has not made any direct allegations against Jahan so far, officials believe her position as the then MP makes her questioning “crucial” to the case.

The development also comes at a politically sensitive time, just ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections.

The timing of the summons has triggered political reactions, with the ruling TMC alleging that central agencies are being used to target opposition leaders ahead of polls.

This is not the first time Jahan has come under the ED’s radar. In 2023, she was questioned for nearly six hours in connection with a separate flat fraud case. 

Allegations were made that a real estate firm linked to her had collected money from homebuyers without delivering promised flats. Jahan had denied those charges.

With the ED widening its investigation into the ration smuggling case, all eyes are now on whether Jahan will appear for questioning in Kolkata or seek to depose in Delhi, and what her statement could mean for the politically sensitive probe.