The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday conducted searches at 12 locations, including at the residences of senior Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim and fellow party MLA Madan Mitra, in connection with the investigation into irregularities in the recruitment made by municipalities in the State.
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Searches were conducted at the residence of Mr. Hakim in Kolkata’s Chetla area, Mr. Mitra’s residence at Bhawanipore and Kamarhati as well several other municipalities around Kolkata such as at Kanchrapara, Barrackpore, Halisahar, Dumdum, North Dum Dum, Krishnanagar and Taki.
The agency officials also questioned Mr. Hakim and Mr. Mitra about the recruitment scam that came to the fore during investigation in the West Bengal school jobs scam when the Enforcement Directorate (ED) recovered documents relating to recruitment in municipalities from the premises of an accused Ayan Sil.
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The Calcutta High Court in April 2023 directed the CBI to probe the irregularities in the recruitment of municipalities. Both the ED and the CBI are looking at the irregularities in the recruitments made by the civic bodies. The State government had challenged the High Court order for a CBI probe but the Supreme Court in August 2023 dismissed the petition.
On October 5, the ED had searched multiple locations, including the residence of Food and Supplies Minister Rathin Ghosh in connection with the recruitment case.
The raids come at a time when summons have been issued to Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee in the State’s school job recruitment scam. Mr. Banerjee has been summoned by the ED to appear before it on October 9. The TMC leader has over the past four days held demonstration at the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata for the denial of MGNREGS wages to workers in the State.
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Bid to tarnish image
Speaking to reporters after the CBI officials left his residence, Mr. Hakim said the raids were an attempt by the BJP government to tarnish his image.
West Bengal Minister Firhad Hakim addresses a press conference on the search conducted at his residence by CBI in connection with the alleged irregularities in West Bengal civic body recruitment in Kolkata on October 08, 2023. | Photo Credit: ANI
The Trinamool leader who is also Mayor of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation said that as the Minister of Urban Development and Urban affairs he has no role in recruitments in the civic bodies.
“I have never been involved in any illegal activities. CPM leaders like Sujan Chakraborty and BJP’s Dilip Ghosh have been raising allegations against me .Can they tell me that I am involved in any illegal activity?,” the Minister asked.
Mr. Mitra on the other hand said that several people approach MLAs for jobs but he has not been involved in any irregularities. The Trinamool leader also added that he was not even an MLA when the alleged irregularities took place.