Rujira Banerjee stopped from boarding flight, Mamata calls it ‘inhuman’

KOLKATA: Rujira Narula Banerjee, the wife of Trinamool Congress national general secretary and Diamond Harbour MP, Abhishek Banerjee, was stopped from boarding an international flight by the immigration authorities on Monday at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) airport due to an alleged lookout notice against her by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Trinamool chairperson Mamata Banerjee, commenting on the matter, told the media that Rujira was going to visit her mother who is not keeping well and hence it was inhuman to stop her from boarding the flight.

She said despite Rujira having informed the ED before her travel, as per Supreme Court instructions, she was stopped at the airport and even handed over a summon notice.

Addressing the media, Abhishek Banerjee said that Supreme Court guidelines have been violated by stopping his wife from boarding the flight.

He had said that against the case he filed in The Supreme Court on May 17, 2022, the court had clearly given its instructions where there was no bar in travelling abroad.

He said let the Enforcement Directorate first prove the charges of gold smuggling rather than harassing her continuously.

He said that there is lawlessness in the country.

Abhishek also demanded that CCTV footage from the airport be disclosed.

He said such moves are to disrupt the party’s Nabajowar campaign.

He stated his wife will be going to the ED office on June 8, since she has been summoned. However, a petition of contempt of court will be filed at the CJI Bench.

It was learnt that Rujira had arrived at the airport on Monday morning to board the flight along with her two children. She was stopped by the immigration authorities at the Kolkata airport from boarding the Dubai-bound flight.

The reason cited by the immigration authorities was a lookout notice issued against her by the Enforcement Directorate. After some conversation with them, she was seen leaving the airport.

Shortly after, it was learnt that she has also been summoned by the ED to their CGO complex office on Thursday at 11 am. Sources close to her said there exists a court order which clearly mentioned that there is no bar on her from travelling abroad. It is also learnt that she had supposedly intimated the ED recently about her travel plans but there was no reply from the central probe agency.

Her lawyer said that she was stopped at immigration along with her minor kids.

“It was there that she was also handed over a copy of summon directing her to appear before the ED office in Kolkata on June 8. We will be moving the court as it has been a violation of SC order,” her lawyer said. TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said that such methods are being used by the BJP to deliberately har-ass Abhishek Banerjee since they are not being able to defeat TMC politically.

He called this attempt a cheap tactic and opined that this revealed “unrest” within the saffron brigade which has become politically bankrupt. Earlier too, Rujira was summoned by the ED in connection with the coal smuggling case.

Abhishek said that the Supreme Court guidelines have been violated by stopping his wife from boarding the flight. He stated his wife will be going to the ED office on 8 June