SSC Scam of West Bengal: ED Arrested Minister Partha Chatterjee

Kolkata: West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee was arrested by the ED (Enforcement Directorate) Today regarding its test into the School Service Commission (SSC) enrollment scam case, where exchanges worth crores of rupees were supposedly made for the recruitment of teachers selected through the SSC, his advocate affirmed. This is the first capture by the ED of the case.

Chatterjee, the state Parliamentary Affairs, Commerce and Industry, and Electronics and IT Minister, prior held the education portfolio.
Anindya Raut, Chatterjee’s advocate, quoted “Indeed, he has been captured. We have not been given the seizure list or the arrest update yet. He will be produced in court today. We have been approached to come to CGO Complex.” Gigantic security has been conveyed at the CGO Complex in Kolkata. “Attempted yet couldn’t associate,” Chatterjee said in light of media inquiries on whether he could address party supremo Mamata Banerjee since Friday after the ED raids.

Till now there is not any official explanation has been given by the ED for Chatterjee’s arrest.

The arrest came following a day after the central agency did strikes across the state on Friday and said that they had seized Rs 20 crore from the place of Arpita Mukherjee, a nearby partner of Chatterjee. Mukherjee has been confined, ED sources said and is probably going to be captured. In the meantime, Chatterjee has been taken to ESI Joka for a clinical test and will be taken to Mukherjee’s home in Tollygunge, Diamond City, for an up close and personal interrogation.

“I can’t remark by and by. TMC (Trinamool Congress) as a party is keeping a nearby watch on the turns of events. The party will talk about this at right time. I just want to say that the money recovered has no connection with TMC,” TMC representative Kunal Ghosh said.

ED authorities have been at Chatterjee’s home in Naktala, South Kolkata for over 26 hours since Friday morning. Sources said that Chatterjee didn’t answer inquiries about his connection with Mukherjee.

Sources likewise said that the ED found a few land and property-related reports, gems worth Rs 50 lakh and over 20 cell phones from Mukherjee’s home and they are currently investigating whether these can be represented. ED authorities are additionally attempting to track down different reports for the case.

“A miserable circumstance for Bengal its minister is being arrested for defilement. I’m trusting that Mamata Banerjee will sit on the side of her minister at CGO Complex as she had represented previous police magistrate Rajeev Kumar. We should see while the exploring group will get the brains,” said CPIM leader Sujan Chakraborty. Aside from Chatterjee and Mukherjee, the people whose houses were attacked by the ED since Friday are education minister Paresh C Adhikary, MLA, and Ex-president of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education Manik Bhattacharya.

The places of P K Bandopadhyay, OSD to the then minister in charge of education; Sukanta Acharjee, private secretary to the then minister in charge of education; Chandan Mondal aka Ranjan, a specialist; Kalyanmay Bhattacharya, son-in-law of Partha Bhattacharya; Krishna C Adhikary, a relative of Kalyanmay Bhattacharya; Dr. S P Sinha, guide of the West Bengal Central School Service Commission and convenor of the 5 member advisory group; Kalyanmoy Ganguly, 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, deputy director of the school education division, were likewise raided.

The Calcutta High court had as of late coordinated with the CBI to do investigations into the recruitment scam of Group ‘C’ and ‘D’ staff, aide instructors of Classes IX-XII, and essential educators. The ED is investigating the illegal tax avoidance part of the recruitment scam case.