Tag: Paresh Adhikari

  • ED questions former Bengal Education Minister in SSC scam, seizes Rs 20 crore from aide

    Express News Service

    KOLKATA:  A day after Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of misusing central agencies against her party leaders, Enforcement Directorate (ED) sleuths arrived at former education minister and party secretary general Partha Chatterjee’s house in Kolkata on Friday and interrogated him for nearly 10 hours over alleged irregularities in recruitment of teachers in schools through the School Service Commission. 

    The ED recovered Rs 20 crore from one of the locations, owned by a woman known to Chatterjee. “During the course of searches, the ED recovered Rs 20 crore cash from the residential premises of Arpita Mukherjee. The sum is suspected to be proceeds of SSC scam,” ED stated.

    ED teams, comprising 80 personnel, conducted simultaneous raids at 13 locations, including houses of state minister Paresh Adhikari in Cooch Behar and former advisor of SSC’s screening committee Santi Prasad Sinha.

    Chatterjee, who is now the commerce and industries minister, has been interrogated by the CBI twice in this case.

    While he could not be contacted, Adhikari said, “I am in Kolkata. I heard that ED officials reached my house but I don’t know the details.’’

    Besides, they carried out simultaneous raids in the houses of former advisor of the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) Shanti Prasad Sinha, ex-president of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education Kalyanmoy Ganguly and nine others, the official said.

    The CBI, as directed by the Calcutta High Court, is looking into the alleged irregularities committed in the recruitment of Group-C and D staff as well as teachers in government-sponsored and –aided schools on recommendations of the West Bengal School Service Commission.

    The ED is tracking the money trail in the scam.

    “ED is carrying out search operations at various premises linked to recruitment scam in the West Bengal School Service Commission and West Bengal Primary Education Board,” the agency said on its official Twitter handle.

    The agency shared four photographs of piles of cash in the denomination of Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 besides a number of sealed packets inside a room, without disclosing the quantity or the owner of the place.

    ED sources, however, said that around Rs 20 crore in cash and more than 15 mobile phones were seized from the residence of a woman, a close associate of Chatterjee, in the city’s Tollygunge area following a raid there in the evening, an official said.

    It is learnt that she has acted in several Bengali, Odia and Tamil films in recent years.

    At least 7-8 ED officials reached the Naktala residence of Chatterjee, the former education minister, at around 8:30 am with a few CRPF personnel keeping guard outside.

    They questioned him for more than 11 hours about the alleged scam.

    At one point of time, the senior Trinamool Congress leader complained of uneasiness following which a team of doctors from the state-run SSKM Hospital were called by the ED sleuths, a source said.

    “An ECG was conducted on the minister and his condition was stable,” said the source, who is close to the minister.

    During the interrogation, ED officials took away mobile phones of the minister’s personal assistant as well as the security guards.

    Chatterjee, currently industries and commerce minister, held the education portfolio when the scam was allegedly pulled off.

    He was interrogated by the CBI twice earlier, once on April 26 and then on May 18.

    Raids were also conducted at the residence of one of Chatterjee’s close associates at Pingla in Paschim Medinipur district, an official of the ED said, though he declined to comment whether the raid was in connection with the probe into the same scam or not.

    The agency sleuths, who raided Adhikari’s residence at Mekhliganj in Cooch Behar district questioned his family members including his daughter Ankita Adhikari in his absence, he stated.

    Ankita recently lost her job as an assistant teacher at a government school where she was appointed through the SSC two years ago after it was found “illegal” by the high court.

    Adhikari who had also been grilled by the CBI earlier told reporters in Kolkata he could not get in touch with his family over the phone.

    “They did not intimate us about the visit to our house today. I am in Kolkata in connection with the July 21 Martyrs’ Day rally of the TMC. Had I been around, I would have treated them to muri (puffed rice),” he said.

    ED sleuths also carried out simultaneous raids at the residences of former chairman of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education, Manik Bhattacharya, as well as the board’s interim-president Ratna Chakraborty Bagchi, who is also its secretary.

    The TMC described the concerted raids as a “ploy” by the BJP government at the Centre to harass political opponents.

    “This raid by ED, a day after the spectacular Martyrs’ Day rally that created ripples all over the country, is nothing but an attempt to harass and intimidate leaders of the TMC. “The CBI has already interrogated them (ministers) as part of a court directive and they are cooperating. Now, the ED is being invoked only to discredit them. The money laundering issue is being invented by the BJP,” senior TMC leader and minister Firhad Hakim said.

    The BJP, however, alleged that the TMC aided large-scale anomalies in the recruitment process of teachers at the primary, upper primary and secondary levels since coming to power in the state.

    “TMC leaders and people close to them duped lakhs of qualified youths and handed over their jobs to ineligible ones. The CBI and ED are progressing on the right path. More skeletons will tumble out of the cupboard. The BJP has no role to play in the issue,” the saffron party’s national vice-president, Dilip Ghosh, added.

    (With PTI Inputs)

    KOLKATA:  A day after Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of misusing central agencies against her party leaders, Enforcement Directorate (ED) sleuths arrived at former education minister and party secretary general Partha Chatterjee’s house in Kolkata on Friday and interrogated him for nearly 10 hours over alleged irregularities in recruitment of teachers in schools through the School Service Commission. 

    The ED recovered Rs 20 crore from one of the locations, owned by a woman known to Chatterjee. “During the course of searches, the ED recovered Rs 20 crore cash from the residential premises of Arpita Mukherjee. The sum is suspected to be proceeds of SSC scam,” ED stated.

    ED teams, comprising 80 personnel, conducted simultaneous raids at 13 locations, including houses of state minister Paresh Adhikari in Cooch Behar and former advisor of SSC’s screening committee Santi Prasad Sinha.

    Chatterjee, who is now the commerce and industries minister, has been interrogated by the CBI twice in this case.

    While he could not be contacted, Adhikari said, “I am in Kolkata. I heard that ED officials reached my house but I don’t know the details.’’

    Besides, they carried out simultaneous raids in the houses of former advisor of the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) Shanti Prasad Sinha, ex-president of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education Kalyanmoy Ganguly and nine others, the official said.

    The CBI, as directed by the Calcutta High Court, is looking into the alleged irregularities committed in the recruitment of Group-C and D staff as well as teachers in government-sponsored and –aided schools on recommendations of the West Bengal School Service Commission.

    The ED is tracking the money trail in the scam.

    “ED is carrying out search operations at various premises linked to recruitment scam in the West Bengal School Service Commission and West Bengal Primary Education Board,” the agency said on its official Twitter handle.

    The agency shared four photographs of piles of cash in the denomination of Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 besides a number of sealed packets inside a room, without disclosing the quantity or the owner of the place.

    ED sources, however, said that around Rs 20 crore in cash and more than 15 mobile phones were seized from the residence of a woman, a close associate of Chatterjee, in the city’s Tollygunge area following a raid there in the evening, an official said.

    It is learnt that she has acted in several Bengali, Odia and Tamil films in recent years.

    At least 7-8 ED officials reached the Naktala residence of Chatterjee, the former education minister, at around 8:30 am with a few CRPF personnel keeping guard outside.

    They questioned him for more than 11 hours about the alleged scam.

    At one point of time, the senior Trinamool Congress leader complained of uneasiness following which a team of doctors from the state-run SSKM Hospital were called by the ED sleuths, a source said.

    “An ECG was conducted on the minister and his condition was stable,” said the source, who is close to the minister.

    During the interrogation, ED officials took away mobile phones of the minister’s personal assistant as well as the security guards.

    Chatterjee, currently industries and commerce minister, held the education portfolio when the scam was allegedly pulled off.

    He was interrogated by the CBI twice earlier, once on April 26 and then on May 18.

    Raids were also conducted at the residence of one of Chatterjee’s close associates at Pingla in Paschim Medinipur district, an official of the ED said, though he declined to comment whether the raid was in connection with the probe into the same scam or not.

    The agency sleuths, who raided Adhikari’s residence at Mekhliganj in Cooch Behar district questioned his family members including his daughter Ankita Adhikari in his absence, he stated.

    Ankita recently lost her job as an assistant teacher at a government school where she was appointed through the SSC two years ago after it was found “illegal” by the high court.

    Adhikari who had also been grilled by the CBI earlier told reporters in Kolkata he could not get in touch with his family over the phone.

    “They did not intimate us about the visit to our house today. I am in Kolkata in connection with the July 21 Martyrs’ Day rally of the TMC. Had I been around, I would have treated them to muri (puffed rice),” he said.

    ED sleuths also carried out simultaneous raids at the residences of former chairman of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education, Manik Bhattacharya, as well as the board’s interim-president Ratna Chakraborty Bagchi, who is also its secretary.

    The TMC described the concerted raids as a “ploy” by the BJP government at the Centre to harass political opponents.

    “This raid by ED, a day after the spectacular Martyrs’ Day rally that created ripples all over the country, is nothing but an attempt to harass and intimidate leaders of the TMC. “The CBI has already interrogated them (ministers) as part of a court directive and they are cooperating. Now, the ED is being invoked only to discredit them. The money laundering issue is being invented by the BJP,” senior TMC leader and minister Firhad Hakim said.

    The BJP, however, alleged that the TMC aided large-scale anomalies in the recruitment process of teachers at the primary, upper primary and secondary levels since coming to power in the state.

    “TMC leaders and people close to them duped lakhs of qualified youths and handed over their jobs to ineligible ones. The CBI and ED are progressing on the right path. More skeletons will tumble out of the cupboard. The BJP has no role to play in the issue,” the saffron party’s national vice-president, Dilip Ghosh, added.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • Teacher recruitment scam: ED officials raid residences of two Bengal ministers

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: A team of Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials raided residences of Bengal ministers Partha Chatterjee and Paresh Adhikari on Friday as part of its probe into a teacher recruitment scam, a source in the agency said.

    At least seven to eight ED personnel arrived at Chatterjee’s Naktala residence here around 8:30 am, and carried out searches till 11 am with CRPF personnel keeping guard outside, the source said.

    Another team of agency officials visited Adhikari’s home at Mekhliganj in Coochbehar district and talked to his family members, he stated.

    According to the ED source, officials had also carried out a simultaneous raid at the residence of former chairman of West Bengal Board of Primary Education, Manik Bhattacharya, in Jadavpur area of the city.

    Kolkata, West Bengal | ED officials reach former Education Minister Partha Chatterjee’s residence in connection with the SSC recruitment scam pic.twitter.com/XVNG5W91ow
    — ANI (@ANI) July 22, 2022
    The CBI had been looking into the alleged irregularities committed in recruitment of Group-C, D staff and teachers in government-sponsored and –aided schools on recommendations of the West Bengal School Service Commission, as directed by the high court, and the ED was tracking the money trail in the scam.

    Chatterjee, currently industries and commerce minister, held the education portfolio when the scam was allegedly pulled off. He was interrogated by the CBI twice, once on April 26 and then on May18.

    Adhikari, the minister of state (MoS) for education, had also been grilled by the CBI with his daughter lost her job of school teacher. He told reporters he could not get in touch with his family over phone.

    “They did not intimate us about their visit to our house today. I am in Kolkata in connection with July 21 Martyrs’ Day rally of the TMC. Had I been around I would have treated them to muri (puffed rice),”” he said.

    KOLKATA: A team of Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials raided residences of Bengal ministers Partha Chatterjee and Paresh Adhikari on Friday as part of its probe into a teacher recruitment scam, a source in the agency said.

    At least seven to eight ED personnel arrived at Chatterjee’s Naktala residence here around 8:30 am, and carried out searches till 11 am with CRPF personnel keeping guard outside, the source said.

    Another team of agency officials visited Adhikari’s home at Mekhliganj in Coochbehar district and talked to his family members, he stated.

    According to the ED source, officials had also carried out a simultaneous raid at the residence of former chairman of West Bengal Board of Primary Education, Manik Bhattacharya, in Jadavpur area of the city.

    Kolkata, West Bengal | ED officials reach former Education Minister Partha Chatterjee’s residence in connection with the SSC recruitment scam pic.twitter.com/XVNG5W91ow
    — ANI (@ANI) July 22, 2022
    The CBI had been looking into the alleged irregularities committed in recruitment of Group-C, D staff and teachers in government-sponsored and –aided schools on recommendations of the West Bengal School Service Commission, as directed by the high court, and the ED was tracking the money trail in the scam.

    Chatterjee, currently industries and commerce minister, held the education portfolio when the scam was allegedly pulled off. He was interrogated by the CBI twice, once on April 26 and then on May18.

    Adhikari, the minister of state (MoS) for education, had also been grilled by the CBI with his daughter lost her job of school teacher. He told reporters he could not get in touch with his family over phone.

    “They did not intimate us about their visit to our house today. I am in Kolkata in connection with July 21 Martyrs’ Day rally of the TMC. Had I been around I would have treated them to muri (puffed rice),”” he said.

  • Bengal minister defies CBI instructions, leaves Kolkata for hometown in Cooch Behar

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Bengal minister of state for education Paresh Adhikari, who is under CBI scanner over her daughter’s illegal appointment in a government-aided school, on Tuesday left for his hometown in Cooch Behar in the northern part of the state, despite being told not to do so, an official of the agency said.

    Adhikari took a flight from city airport to Bagdogra around 7.30 am, he said, adding that an inquiry has been initiated into the matter.

    “We had told the minister not to leave the city. We have come to know that he left for Bagdogra this morning. We will inquire into the matter,” the CBI official told PTI.

    The Mekliganj MLA has been questioned by CBI sleuths for three days since last Thursday in connection with the investigation into the appointment scam of teaching and non-teaching staff at state government-run and aided schools.

    The Calcutta High Court recently dismissed the employment of Adhikari’s daughter in a government-aided school and asked her to return the salary she had drawn during her tenure as a teacher.

  • Bengal Education Minister interrogated for four hours by CBI on appointment of daughter

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: CBI interrogated West Bengal minister Paresh Adhikari for four hours on the third consecutive day on Saturday and was asked questions about the “illegal” appointment of his daughter Ankita as a primary school teacher, an official of the investigating agency said.

    Adhikari, who is the minister of state for education, submitted documents which he had brought with him.

    During the interrogation he was asked to give names of all those who had “helped” him in getting his daughter’s appointment as a primary teacher.

    “He was asked about the various calls he had made from his mobile phone regarding his daughter Ankita’s appointment. He was also asked to write down the names of all those whom he had approached for the purpose,” the official told PTI.

    Like in the earlier grilling sessions, the entire interrogation process was videographed, he added.

    Adhikari had reached the CBI office around 10.35 AM with a file, which sources close to him said contained several important documents related to the appointment.

    Calcutta High Court had on Friday dismissed Ankita Adhikari from her job in a government-aided school and asked her to return the salary she had drawn during her 41-month tenure as a teacher.

    CBI sources said that the central agency’s sleuths may call Ankita Adhikari for questioning next week The Mekliganj MLA was questioned for over nine hours on Friday and nearly four hours on Thursday night by the central agency in connection with the appointment of his daughter as a teacher on the complaint of a candidate who scored more in the qualifying examination but did not get a job.