CBI raids Bengal minister and multiple places in connection with ‘recruitment scam’

Officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) reached the residence of Bengal minister from Mamata Banerjee's cabinet and Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation, Firhad Hakim at around 9am on Sunday morning and are currently carrying out a search operation in connection with the ongoing probe into alleged irregularities in recruitments at various municipalities in Bengal. Minutes later another team of CBI reached the residence of Kamarhati TMC MLA and former minister, Madan Mitra, in connection with the same case. CBI officials left the residence of Mitra after almost five hours, while the raids are still on at Hakim’s place. 

In all, the CBI on Sunday launched search operation at 12 different places in Bengal including Kolkata, Kanchrapara, Barrackpore, Halisahar, Dumdum, North Dum Dum, Krishnanagar, Taki, and Kamarhati. “It was alleged that all contracts pertaining to various Municipalities, District Primary School Councils etc. for the recruitment of Group C and Group D employees were given to a single company. It was further alleged that the said company was entrusted with all the tasks like setting up of question papers, printing and scanning of OMR sheets and preparation of final merit lists etc. It was also alleged that the Director of said private company and others including public servants hatched a conspiracy among themselves and in pursuant to that conspiracy, the accused (being responsible for the printing, designing and evaluation of OMR sheets) allegedly facilitated the illegal appointments of several unmeritorious candidates in several municipalities in lieu of money”, said CBI in a statement issued during the course of the ongoing raids.

The Calcutta High Court had ordered CBI to conduct a court-monitored probe into alleged corruption in recruitments in municipalities across Bengal on August 30. The case was registered against the director of a private company and unknown others who were allegedly given all contracts pertaining to various municipalities, district primary school councils, etc for the recruitment of Group C and Group D employees. It was a single company that was doing all the recruitment work in municipalities and came under the scanner of the High Court.

Trinamool Congress has called the raids political vendetta of BJP. Several TMC leaders have claimed that BJP had unleashed agencies after TMC Abhishek Banerjee had led a protest to Delhi against the central government over ‘blocking’ of central funds for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. Banerjee is sitting on a dharna for the past four days outside Raj Bhavan demanding intervention from the West Bengal Governor and immediate release of pending payments of “20 lakh beneficiaries in Bengal”. “It’s a politically motivated and scripted drama by BJP trying to divert public attention from the dharna of Abhishek Banerjee. Abhishek Banerjee is fighting for the rights of the people. Union minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti had to come to Bengal to respond to our claims. They are under pressure. Such tactics won’t work. These raids won’t scare us” said TMC leader Kunal Ghosh.