72 hours' CCTV footage of 3 airports checked to ascertain if Prashant Kishore travelled to Kolkata

Top aviation sources have told that "on the directions of the government, aviation security authorities have checked the CCTV footage of three airports -- Delhi, Kolkata and Guwahati -- of the last 72 hours" to ascertain if political strategist Prashant Kishore recently travelled to Kolkata.

As sources told , the aviation authorities have sought details from certain airlines including "Air India, SpiceJet and BlueDart because in the last three days a total of nine cargo flights have operated from Delhi to Kolkata."

Recently reports emerged that Prashant had flown to Kolkata after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee summoned him to counter-strategise against the Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT), which was sent to Kolkata, Howrah, Medinipur East, 24 Parganas North, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, and Jalpaiguri districts to assess the ground reality in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The media reports noted: "Political strategist Prashant Kishore has arrived in Kolkata via cargo flight after West Bengal CM has summoned him to counter the Central government's IMCT team. Prashant Kishore denies the report that he took a cargo flight to Kolkata to assist West Bengal government in creating counter-narrative to Bengal's poor handling of COVID-19 situation."

Speaking to , Prashant said: "I have categorically denied taking any flight from anywhere. Those who are claiming that I took a cargo or for that matter, any flight should at least have basic information like flight number, flight operator, date time, etc., in the public domain or apologise for making such a statement."

Kishore is yet to clarify his current location and his travel history.

( With inputs from ANI )