FIR filed against Trinamool MP, Sudipta Sen

An FIR has been filed against Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Kunal Ghosh, Saradha Group chairman Sudipta Sen and six others for non-payment of salaries to employees of a television channel run by the chit fund company.

The FIR was filed on Thursday night at the Park Street police station by 21 employees of Channel 10, who stated that they have not been paid salaries by the company which also did not deposit their provident fund dues, Joint Commissioner of Police, Crime, Pallab Kanti Ghosh said on Friday.

Asked whether the MP would be arrested, Ghosh said, "We have started the investigation. Whatever is needed for the sake of investigation will be done."

The TMC MP, on his part, said that he was only an employee with responsibility for the editorial content of the channel. "I am ready to face any investigation,” he said.

"I was not the owner. Finance and accounts were not under me. I did not have cheque signing authority. Attempts are being made to tarnish my image," said Ghosh, who was the Saradha group media CEO.

He said that Sudipta Sen, the Saradha Group chairman, was the owner of Channel 10.

Ghosh said that in a six page letter to the party's 'top leadership', he has written, "I am ready to face and co-operate with any investigation.

"I am not connected with the Saradha's money market activities. I am ready to resign as a Rajya Sabha member if the investigation reveals (complicity in the scam)," he said.

He said that he had joined the media unit of the Saradha Group before joining the TMC.

"I joined the Saradha media group in September, 2010 and became the member of TMC and MP in March 2012. So please disassociate me and my party in this," Ghosh said.