CBI raids Trinamool minister & Kolkata mayor’s residence for over 10 hours

Concluding a marathon raid that continued over 10 hours, the team from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) ultimately came out of the residence of West Bengal municipal affairs and urban development minister Firhad Hakim at around 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, 8 October. Hakim is also the mayor of Kolkata.

The raid and search operations at Hakim’s residence at Chetla in south Kolkata started at 8 a.m.

During the 10 hours, neither was anyone allowed to come out of the residence nor was anyone allowed to enter.

However, throughout the period of the raid and search operations, Trinamool Congress supporters stayed assembled in front of the mayor’s residence, demonstrating against the CBI action.

The raid and search operations were conducted in relation to the CBI’s probe on the multi-crore cash-for-municipality-jobs case.

At the end of the raid and search operations, Hakim’s daughter Priiyadarshini Hakim told the press that the entire family went through immense mental torture throughout this period of 10 hours.

"We have nothing to hide. (But) what about our social respect and dignity which is being compromised?" she asked. "What about the harassment that our family went through? Who will take the responsibility for it when there is no evidence of wrongdoing?"

At the end of the raid, Hakim himself told mediapersons that he and his family members have been unnecessarily harassed.

“I had to attend a family ritual following the death of one of my brothers. What have I done? As municipal affairs minister, I had no role regarding appointments in municipalities. I am being harassed because I refused to succumb to the pressure from the BJP," he said.