Bengal municipality jobs case: ED conducting searches at residences of Trinamool’s Madan Mitra, other places

Kolkata, June 13 (IANS) Enforcement Directorate (ED) teams were conducting parallel search operations at multiple locations in and around Kolkata, including the two residences of Trinamool Congress legislator Madan Mitra, in connection with the multi-crore cash-for-municipality jobs case in West Bengal.

Of the two residences of Mitra, where the raids and search operations are being conducted, one is at Bhabanipur in south Kolkata and the other at Kamarhati in the northern outskirts of Kolkata. Mitra is a three-time party legislator from Kamarhati, first from 2011 to 2016 and subsequently from 2021 to date.

Sources aware of the development said that different teams of the ED, each escorted by central armed police forces (CAPF) personnel, are conducting the search operations at a total of seven locations in and around Kolkata.

Sources further said that the raids and search operations at Mitra’s residence are in connection with the appointments irregularities in Kamarhati Municipality in North 24 Parganas district.

On Friday night, Mitra turned vocal against the alleged harassment of Kamarhati Municipality Chairman Gopal Saha. He also directed all the Trinamool councillors of Kamarhati Municipality to resign.

“There was no other option for Kamarhati Municipality Chairman Gopal Saha other than resigning due to the dirty treatment he received, and all services being blocked. All the councillors and Trinamool Congress supporters must join in a strong protest against this. The only answer to the insult from the BJP is resignation. I promise that in the next elections, I will make Trinamool Congress win from every ward and fly the Trinamool flag in Kamarhati Municipality again,” he asserted.

Former three-time Trinamool Congress legislator and former West Bengal Fire Services Minister Sujit Bose was arrested by the ED last month in the municipalities jobs case and is in judicial custody. Bose is accused of involvement in appointments’ irregularities in South Dum Dum Municipality in North 24 Parganas district and other money-laundering-related cases.

Recently, the Calcutta High Court rejected Bose’s plea for the quashing of the enforcement case information report (ECIR) filed against him by the ED. Instead, the single-judge vacation bench of Justice Krishna Rao advised him to move a bail plea. He also rejected Bose’s plea for a fast-track basis hearing in the matter.

–IANS

src/vd