ED raids premises of Bengal minister Sujit Bose in Kolkata

In connection with alleged civic body recruitment scam, the Enforcement Directorate on Friday conducted raids at the premises of West Bengal minister and Trinamool Congress leader Sujit Bose in the state’s capital Kolkata. 

According to the sources, the development comes as the central agency conducts search and seizure in parts of Kolkata and its fringes in connection with its ongoing probe into the alleged recruitment scam in state-run schools in West Bengal.

Tight security has been deployed around the area, where the raids are underway. 

It is to be noted here that the case came into picture when alleged irregularities in municipality recruitments came to the fore when Kolkata-based builder Ayan Sheel was arrested by ED on March 19 in connection with the school jobs scam.

The OMR (answer) sheets of candidates for various posts in several municipalities were found at Ayan's Salt Lake office during a search, according to ED.

Bose was called by the CBI earlier in August of last year to appear for interrogation in relation to the ongoing investigation into purported anomalies in municipal appointments from 2014 to 2016.

The state government's request for a stay of the Calcutta High Court's judgement directing the CBI to look into the purported municipal hirings scam was denied by the Kolkata High Court.

The Calcutta High Court was notified by the authorities (CBI and ED) of connections between the bribe-for-job scheme in the West Bengal school education department, which has resulted in the arrest of former education minister Partha Chatterjee, and the municipal body recruitment fraud.

Here’s what BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said:

While speaking to ANI, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said that people of Bengal want them to go behind bars. Notably, he is the first cabinet minister to be summoned in the case.