Audio Bulletin: PMO sends CBI Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana on leave

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana have been "divested of all powers" amid an ongoing spat between them. The Centre has also transferred as many as 13 officers of the agency, shunting out almost all those in Verma's team which was probing bribery charges against Asthana. This infighting in the premier investigating agency and the Modi government's response to the entire episode has drawn flak from the opposition parties. The Congress has dubbed it the "last nail" in the agency's independence while the CPIM called it illegal.