Vedic row: Mamata expels 3 Trinamool leaders

The Vedic Village land controversy, which led to the West Bengal scrapping the proposed IT township project in Rajarhat near Kolkata, on Tuesday claimed its first political victims.

Railways Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday suspended three of her party leaders, for suspected involvement in illegal land deals.

Though the brother of a Trinamool MLA wanted in the case is absconding, one of the main suspects in the scam has been arrested and expected to spill some beans.

Gaffar Mollah, who led the gang that opened fire at a football match last month that saw one person being killed and sparking arson at Vedic Village, was arrested on Tuesday morning from Bankura.

Mollah said that Vedic Village owner and MD Raj Kishore Modi, knew all about his illegal land deals and that he used guns to seal them.

Modi, now under arrest, has, in a way, cost Bengal the entry of IT giants. He was director of the joint venture company tasked with buying land for an IT hub where the state government was to give land to Infosys and Wipro.

Gaffar could well spill other beans. But Mamata Banerjee, at a rally near Vedic Village, demanded a CBI enquiry into the scam and suspended three party members for likely involvement in illegal land deals in the area.

"If the CPM has the guts, let them get CBI to enquire into the land scam at Vedic Village area and Rajarhat. Also, let the central agencies investigate all the arms seized in the area under the Arms Act," Banerjee said.

The Vedic Village scam has drawn first political blood and it looks like that there is more to follow.