WBSSC scam: ED to grill Partha Chatterjee's son-in-law again after Durga Puja

Kolkata, Sep 29 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) probing the multi-crore West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) scam will summon Kalyanmoy Bhattacharya, the son-in-law of prime accused and former Education Minister Partha Chatterjee, again after the Durga Puja festivities ending October 5.

Bhattacharya was earlier grilled by the ED for 12 hours on September 26.

ED sources said that in the first round of questioning, there were lots of inconsistencies in the answers given by Bhattacharya, which necessitated the second round of grilling.

Initially, sources said, he denied having knowledge of being the chairman of the trust running the BCM International School, named after Chatterjee's late wife Babli Chatterjee, at Pingla in West Midnapore district.

"However, when our sleuths presented documents showing Bhattacharya holding the post, he agreed and said that he took the post on his father-in-law's insistence. There were many more such contradictions in the statements made by Bhattacharya on September 26 for which we felt the need to question him again," said an ED official.

ED sources said that in the next round, Bhattacharya will be questioned about his role as director in three corporate entities -- Improline Constructions Pvt Ltd, HRI Wealth Creation Realtors Pvt Ltd, and Acrisius Consulting Pvt Ltd.

As per the records of the Registrar of Companies under the Union Ministry of Commerce, while Bhattacharya is the Managing Director in Acrisius Consulting, in the remaining two companies, he is an ordinary director.

In HRI Wealth Creation Realtors and Improline Constructions, the second director is Krishna Chandra Adhikari.

Bhattacharya currently stays in the US along with his wife and Partha Chatterjee's daughter, Sohini Chatterjee Bhattacharya.

After he reached Kolkata on September 24, Bhattacharya was contacted by the ED officials and accordingly he arrived at the agency's office on September 26.

ED sources said there is high possibility that his wife might also be asked to come to India and join the probe in the near future, considering that she is the co-owner in a number of properties seized in the matter.