INDIA. West Bengal: The former chairman of the West Bengal primary education board, Manik Bhattacharya, has been taken under custody by the central probe agency in connection to the West Bengal Primary Education board recruitment scam.
Bhattacharya is the second most prominent TMC MLA to be detained, following Partha Chatterjee, which is a big setback for the Mamta-led TMC government.
The Probe agency found Bhattacharya involved in the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) to appoint state primary teachers.
In June, the Calcutta High Court had relieved Bhattacharya of his duties as chairperson of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education.
As soon as the news of his arrest came out, the West Bengal state police lifted the security provided to Bhattacharya.
Meanwhile, the entire scam racket is being investigated by ED and CBI. Till now, they have arrested former West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) advisor Shanti Prasad Sinha, former WBSSC chairman Ashok Saha and ex-president of WBSSC Kalyanmoy Ganguly in connection with the scam.
As per an ED officer, “Mr. Bhattacharya has been arrested for continued non-cooperation with the investigators during questioning, which began on Monday afternoon. He also tried to misdirect the investigators.”
What is the WBSSC Scam?
The scam is linked to the recruitment of Group ‘C’ and ‘D’ staff, assistant teachers of classes 11 and 11, and primary teachers. Many illegal appointments were made in government-run and aided schools by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC).
The scam exposed the involvement of several TMC leaders. The opposition party persisted in voicing its objection to these illegal state-sponsored actions.
Mamata Banerjee clarified that she would not support anyone if they are found guilty of such allegations.
Also Read: WBSSC scam: Arpita Mukherjee’s Biggest Confession on Partha Chatterjee Redirected The case
