Former Bengal Minister Appears Before ED After Skipping Four Summons in Municipal Recruitment Scam Probe

Former West Bengal minister Rathin Ghosh appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Kolkata on Friday for questioning in connection with an alleged multi-crore municipal recruitment scam and irregularities linked to the public distribution system. Ghosh arrived at the agency’s Salt Lake office at around 11 am after previously skipping four summons issued by investigators.

According to officials, the former minister had repeatedly avoided appearing before the agency in the run-up to the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections, citing campaign commitments. The ED had served notices to Rathin Ghosh before the elections, but the agency renewed its efforts after the political season concluded. Before entering the ED office, Rathin Ghosh briefly spoke to reporters gathered outside and claimed he was uncertain about the exact reason for being summoned. “I am not entirely sure why they have called me,” he told journalists.

The probe relates to alleged irregularities in municipal body recruitment across West Bengal, where investigators suspect large-scale financial misconduct and illegal appointments. Ghosh is also being questioned over alleged links to a ration and public distribution scheme scam.

Despite the Trinamool Congress losing power in the recently concluded Assembly elections, Rathin Ghosh retained his political foothold by winning the Madhyamgram Assembly seat in North 24 Parganas for a fourth consecutive term. He has represented the constituency since 2011.

The questioning comes days after another former minister from the Mamata Banerjee cabinet, Sujit Bose, was arrested by the ED in connection with the same investigation. Sujit Bose was taken into custody on May 11 after nearly ten hours of interrogation at the agency’s Salt Lake office. A special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) later remanded him to ED custody until May 21.

The investigation into the municipal recruitment case is being conducted simultaneously by both the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The CBI launched a criminal investigation following directions from the Calcutta High Court, while the ED is probing the money laundering angle linked to the alleged scam. As the inquiry expanded, investigators reportedly began examining the role of several politically influential individuals, including senior Trinamool Congress leaders and former ministers. Officials believe the case could widen further as financial records, recruitment patterns and alleged political links continue to come under scrutiny.