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Bengal teacher recruitment case: ED says ₹20 crore seized from minister's aide
The probe agency carried out coordinated searches at the premises of Chatterjee, his aide Arpita Mukherjee, state education minister Paresh Adhikary, MLA and former president of West Bengal Board of Primary Education Manik Bhattacharya and others.
The Enforcement Directorate on Friday said it seized cash worth ₹20 crore after raiding a close associate of West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee in connection with an alleged teacher recruitment scam in the case, PTI reported.
The probe agency carried out coordinated searches at the premises of Chatterjee, his aide Arpita Mukherjee, state education minister Paresh Adhikary, MLA and former president of West Bengal Board of Primary Education Manik Bhattacharya and others.
In a statement, the ED alleged that the seized cash is suspected to be the proceeds of crime in the school service commission case, adding that the search team is taking help from the bank officials to count the seized cash using machines. More than 20 mobile phones have also been seized from the premises of Arpita Mukherjee, the purpose and use of which is being ascertained, the statement said.
The others raided include P K Bandopadhyay, the officer on special duty (OSD) to Partha Chatterjee when he was the state education minister earlier, his then personal secretary Sukanta Acharjee, Chandan Mondal alias Ranjan, a "tout" who allegedly used to take money on the promise of giving school teacher jobs, Kalyanmay Bhattacharya, son-in-law of Partha Bhattacharya; Krishna C Adhikary, and Dr S P Sinha, advisor of the West Bengal Central School Service Commission - convenor of the 5-member committee.
Kalyanmoy Ganguly, the ex-president of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education; Saumitra Sarkar, ex-president of the West Bengal Central School Service Commission; and Alok Kumar Sarkar, the deputy director of the School Education Department were also raided.
The ED said, "A number of incriminating documents, records, details of dubious companies, electronic devices, foreign currency and gold have been recovered from the premises of persons linked to the scam."
The ED is probing a money laundering case based on an FIR by the Central Bureau Of Investigation (CBI) which was directed by the Calcutta high court to investigate the alleged scam in the recruitment of group 'C' and 'D' staff, assistant teachers of classes 11 and 12 and primary teachers.
The Trinamool Congress alleged vendetta by the BJP-led Centre. “This particular style of functioning of agencies creates an image of personal resentment & vengeance, in the minds of the people. It's not wanted,” TMC leader Madan Mitra told ANI.
(With ANI, PTI inputs)
