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Journalism of Courage
After the arrest of West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee and his close aide Arpita Mukherjee, the Enforcement Directorate has summoned Trinamool Congress MLA Manik Bhattacharya in the probe into illegal recruitment of teachers.
Ordered to step down as president of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education by the High Court, Bhattarcharya retired in 2014 as principal of Jogesh Chandra Chaudhuri Law College and was appointed the head of the board soon after. A long-time TMC member, he won from Palashipara in Nadia district in the 2021 Assembly election. He lost from the constituency 10 years earlier.
The ED wants to question Bhattacharya over several documents and CDs recovered from a recent search of his house. The ED is probing money laundering charges in the alleged scam in recruitments conducted by the West Bengal School Service Commission and West Bengal Primary Education Board, as part of which it also carried out search operations at houses of Partha Chatterjee, one of the most powerful ministers in the state, holding several portfolios, and a former education minister, as well as of his aide Mukherjee.
Bhattacharya’s house was searched for eight hours. Following the High Court’s order on June 20, he also submitted accounts and documents related to properties owned by him and his family to court.
Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay had held Bhattacharya responsible for illegalities committed in the appointment of at least 269 teachers in primary schools sponsored or aided by the state government.
On Tuesday, attempts to reach him failed with his phone switched off.
The ED Tuesday continued with its interrogation of minister Chatterjee and Arpita Mukherjee. Chatterjee was brought back to Kolkata at 6.30 am after a check-up at AIIMS Bhubaneswar, and was straightaway taken to the ED office.
While Chatterjee was produced before the special court through the virtual mode as per a Calcutta High Court order, Mukherjee was physically produced before it.
With the fast-moving investigations putting the TMC in a spot, senior leader Sougata Roy refused to speak much on Bhattacharya, only saying: “The ED is a government agency, they can call anyone they want. Manik was already questioned by the CBI, there is nothing new. He had been removed from his post and was already under scanner.”
Another TMC leader said: “Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already said that she doesn’t support corruption and wouldn’t mind if life imprisonment is awarded to those who are guilty. Can the party make its stand clearer than this? It doesn’t matter who is being called or summoned. Our stand remains the same: if someone is found guilty, the law will take its own course.”
At the time of the High Court order, CPM leader Sujan Chakraborty had said the allegations explained why Bhattacharya had been the head of the board for “so long”. “His removal is not a solution. He must be put in custody.”
