The CBI has summoned Gyanwant Singh, Bengal’s director of security, for questioning in connection with the central agency’s probe into the multi-crore coal smuggling case.

Singh, a 1993-batch IPS officer, was the in-charge of the state’s law and order till March before the Election Commission of India posted him as the officer-in-charge of chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s security after the Nandigram incident when she was injured.

Singh, who replaced Vivek Sahay, another senior IPS officer, as Mamata’s security in-charge, has been asked to appear before a team of CBI officers on May 4.

Senior officials in the central agency said as the man in charge of the state’s law and order Singh would be questioned about whether he was aware of the alleged involvement of a section of police officers in the pilferage of coal across parts of Birbhum, West Burdwan, Purulia and Bankura districts and if he had initiated any action.

“Since this smuggling of coal spanned allegedly across several districts of Bengal, we would like to know from him if he had any information about this pilferage,” said a senior CBI officer.

The central agency has already questioned a clutch of IPS officers and other police officers in connection with its probe into this case. The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is also probing the coal smuggling, has arrested Ashok Mishra, the officer-in-charge of Bankura police station, in connection with the case.

Senior CBI officers said statements of each of the police officers who have been questioned so far have been recorded and Singh’s responses would be crosschecked with them.

Singh was appointed the additional director-general of police in charge of Bengal’s law and order in May 2019. A section of senior CBI officers claimed the pilferage of coal had increased across parts of the state’s western range where the Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) runs several coal mines.

One of the two prime accused in the multi-crore coal pilferage case — Trinamul youth leader Vinay Mishra — is absconding. The other accused Anup Majhi alias Lala has faced several rounds of CBI interrogation. He had got immunity from arrest from the Supreme Court.

“The post of ADG in-charge of law and order is one of the key police postings in Bengal and Singh’s responses will be very crucial in this case,” said a senior CBI officer.

Several senior IPS officers in the state police directorate said Singh was likely to be reinstated as the IPS officer in-charge of the state’s law and order if Trinamul returned to power.

The BJP has been alleging that several thousands of crores minted from the sale of this pilfered coal was routed through shell companies and siphoned into the funds of the ruling party.