Manik Bhattacharya gave wrong information about assets to EC: ED's case diary

Kolkata, Oct 13 (IANS) Trinamool Congress lawmaker and West Bengal Board of Primary Education's (WBBPE) former President Manik Bhattacharya gave wrong information in the affidavit that he filed with the poll panel in 2021 when he contested from Palashipara Assembly constituency in Nadia district, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said in the case diary in its probe into the multi-crore West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) recruitment scam.

ED sources said that in the said affidavit, Bhattacharya informed that his total assets, movable and immovable combined was little over Rs 2 crore. "However, as our sleuths are going deeper in the probe in the WBSSC scam, it is becoming clear the actual worth of assets and properties owned by him is much more than what he had mentioned in the affidavit," an ED official said.

In the affidavit, Bhattacharya skipped the mention of Rs 2.64 crore in the bank account of his son. In the affidavit that he filed in 2021, he mentioned his pension, honorarium as WBBPE President, and returns from a senior citizens' scheme as his sources of income.

Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is conducting a parallel probe in the WBSSC scam, has claimed that former West Bengal Education Minister, Partha Chatterjee ignored repeated complainants against former convener of the commission's screening committee, SP Sinha about the latter indulging in corrupt practices in the recruitment process.

In fact, the Calcutta High Court-appointed probe committee headed by Justice Ranjit Kumar Bag (retired), had held the screening committee as the epicenter of the scam and Sinha as the principal mastermind in the matter.

Both Partha Chatterjee and Sinha are currently under judicial custody.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, Leader of the Opposition in Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari told newspersons that Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee too, was aware of the involvement of Chatterjee in the teachers' recruitment scam but remained silent. "A letter has been recovered by ED from Manik Bhattacharya's residence where someone complained to the Chief Minister about the ongoing irregularities. Now the Chief Minister cannot claim ignorance in the matter," Adhikari said.