Kolkata: Partha Chatterjee was Minister of Education and Minister of Commerce and Industry in the Cabinet of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal. When he was the education minister, the officials of the enforcement department conducted raids on the 22nd in many places in Kolkata regarding the irregularities in the appointment of teachers and staff.
In this, Rs 21 crore cash jewellery, gold bars worth Rs 2 crore and foreign currency were seized from the house of actress Arpita, who is close to Minister Partha Chatterjee. Both were arrested on the 23rd. The Kolkata court granted permission to interrogate them in 10-day police custody.
The diary seized from actress Arpita’s house contained important notes. Based on that, the enforcement department conducted a search at another house of Arpita in Belgaria area of Kolkata yesterday. During the 18-hour raid, Rs 29 crore in cash and Rs 5 kg of gold jewelery were seized. These were taken in 10 boxes by the enforcement department.
In the raids conducted so far, Rs 50 crore cash has been seized from actress Arpita’s houses. It seems that actress Arpita told the enforcement officials that all this was done when Partha Chatterjee was the education minister, and the bribe money she received for the appointment of government school teachers and staff, transfer of posts, granting recognition to colleges. In this regard, the enforcement department also interrogated Trinamool MLA Manik Bhattacharya, who was the former chairman of the West Bengal Board of School Education. In this case, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee convened a cabinet meeting yesterday and discussed the matter. Partha Chatterjee was subsequently removed from the cabinet.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said, “I do not support corruption. The arrested minister should be punished if found guilty. At the same time, I also condemn the propaganda against me in this matter,” he said.
Burglary at Partha Chatterjee’s house
Partha Chatterjee’s house is in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. A burglary incident took place in the locked house last night. Someone broke the lock and took the things from the minister’s house in big bags. Seeing this, the local people thought that the enforcement department was raiding the minister’s house. A complaint has been lodged with the police regarding this incident of theft.
Test in 3rd and 4th house also
While a total of Rs.50 crore cash has been recovered from 2 houses of actress Arpita, the enforcement department is also searching Arpita’s 3rd and 4th house.
After Partha Chatterjee’s corruption was exposed, he was removed from the West Bengal cabinet. Partha Chatterjee was also the General Secretary of the Trinamool Congress. As the Trinamool Party’s honor has been affected by him, a meeting of the Trinamool Congress Party’s Disciplinary Action Committee was held yesterday to take action against him. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee removed Partha Chatterjee from all party posts.
Intensive monitoring
While Partha Chatterjee has been arrested, reports suggest that the central investigation agencies may monitor whether other Trinamool Congress leaders, ministers and government officials are involved in corruption.