West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee Arrested In SSC Recruitment Scam After ED Raids

In a massive blow to TMC on Saturday, the Enforcement Directorate arrested West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee in connection with the SSC recruitment scam.

Re-elected from the Behala Paschim seat in the 2021 Assembly polls. he currently holds the portfolios of Higher Education, School Education and Parliamentary Affairs in the Mamata Banerjee-led Cabinet. Officials of the central agency were conducting raids at his residence for over 26 hours. A day earlier, the ED recovered Rs.20 crore in cash from his aide Arpita Mukherjee’s residential premises. Even she has been detained by the ED, sources revealed.

ED probes SSC recruitment scam

While the CBI had been looking into the alleged irregularities in the recruitment of non-teaching staff (Group C & D), assistant teachers (Class IX-XII) and primary school teachers, the ED is probing the money laundering aspect. Partha Chatterjee was the Education Minister when this scam was allegedly pulled off. He has already been interrogated by the CBI on April 26 and May 18. A day earlier, the ED carried out simultaneous raids at various premises linked to the SSC recruitment scam. In a statement, it alleged that the amount recovered from Arpita Mukherjee’s house might be proceeds of crime.

The persons raided by the central agency include Partha Chatterjee, Paresh Adhikary- Minister of State for Education- Manik Bhattacharya- MLA, and ex-president of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education, Arpita Mukherjee, SP Sinha- advisor of the West Bengal Central School Service Commission, Kalyanmoy Ganguly- ex-president of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education, Saumitra Sarkar-ex-president of the West Bengal Central School Service Commission and Alok Kumar Sarkar- Deputy Director of the School Education Department. As per sources, Chatterjee will be taken for a medical examination soon.