SSC recruitment ‘scam’: Minister Partha Chatterjee arrested; close aide Arpita Mukherjee detained
West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee was taken to the hospital for a medical test. ED sources said his close aide Arpita Mukherjee is also likely to be arrested.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday arrested West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee in connection with its probe into the School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment scam case where there was an alleged multi-crore transaction for the appointment of teachers appointed through SSC. it was done. His lawyer confirmed. This is the ED’s first arrest in this case.
Chatterjee, the state Parliamentary Affairs, Commerce and Industry, and Electronics & IT Minister, earlier held the education portfolio.
“Yes, he has been arrested. We are yet to be given the seizure list or arrest memo. He will be produced in court today. We have been asked to come to the CGO complex,” said Chatterjee’s lawyer Anindya Raut. Heavy security arrangements have been made at the CGO Complex in Kolkata.
However, no official statement has been issued by the ED yet on Chatterjee’s arrest.
A day after the arrest, the central agency Friday conducted raids across the state and said they have seized Rs 20 crore from the house of Chatterjee’s close aide Arpita Mukherjee. ED sources said Mukherjee has also been taken into custody and he is likely to be arrested.
Meanwhile, Chatterjee has been taken to ESI Joka for medical examination and will be taken to Mukherjee’s house in Diamond City’s Tollygunge for face-to-face questioning.
ED officials have been at Chatterjee’s residence in south Kolkata’s Nakatla for more than 26 hours since Friday morning. Sources said Chatterjee did not respond to questions related to his relationship with Mukherjee.
Sources also said that the ED has found several lands and property-related documents, jewellery worth Rs 50 lakh and over 20 mobile phones from Mukherjee’s house and they are now probing whether these can be traced. ED officials are also looking for other documents in the case.
“It is a sad situation for Bengal that its minister is being arrested for corruption. I am waiting for Mamata Banerjee to sit in support of her minister at the CGO Complex as she stood for former police commissioner Rajeev Kumar. Let us see when the investigation team will be able to nab the mastermind,” said CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty.
Apart from Chatterjee and Mukherjee, the persons whose houses were raided by the ED since Friday are education minister Paresh C Adhikary, MLA and former president of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education Manik Bhattacharya. The houses 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 alias Ranjan, an agent; Kalyanmay Bhattacharya, son-in-law of Partha Bhattacharya; Krishna C Adhikary, a relative of Kalyanmay Bhattacharya; Dr S P Sinha, advisor of the West Bengal Central School Service Commission and convenor of the 5-member committee; Kalyanmoy Ganguly, former president of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education; Saumitra Sarkar, former president of the West Bengal Central School Service Commission; and Alok Kumar Sarkar, deputy director of the school education department, were also raided.
The Calcutta High Court had recently directed the CBI to probe the recruitment scam of Group ‘C’ and ‘D’ employees, assistant teachers of classes IX-XII and primary teachers. The ED is probing the money laundering aspect of the recruitment scam case.
