'If guilty, must be punished': Mamata after minister held in school jobs scam

Partha Chatterjee, who was the state education minister when the alleged scam took place, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on Saturday after being questioned for more than 26 hours.

Updated on: Jul 25, 2022, 18:52:11 IST

By HT News Desk | Written by Aryan Prakash

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West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said she does not support any corruption or wrongdoing, and if anyone found guilty then that person should be punished. The Trinamool Congress chief's statement comes after her cabinet colleague Partha Chatterjee's arrest in the school recruitment case.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. (HT photo)

“I don't mind if someone is found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment. Don't drag my name. I don't even take salary from government,” the Bengal chief minister said.

HT has learnt that Chatterjee had desperately tried to reach out to Mamata Banerjee and had called her four times after he was arrested. But the chief minister didn't receive the calls of her party's secretary general.

Chatterjee, who was the state education minister when the alleged scam took place, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on Saturday after being questioned for more than 26 hours. The court on Sunday directed the probe agency to take the minister to AIIMS Bhubaneswar on Monday by an air ambulance.

The doctors in Bhubaneswar said that Chatterjee suffers from chronic diseases but does not need immediate hospitalisation. “We have conducted a thorough screening (of Chatterjee). He has some chronic diseases, but does not need immediate hospitalisation,” AIIMS executive director Ashutosh Biswas said.

The Trinamool Congress has said that Chatterjee will be punished if found guilty, but has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of misusing agencies against the opposition.

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