This Article is From Jul 23, 2022

West Bengal's Teacher Recruitment Scam Explained: 5 Points

The ruling Trinamool Congress described the raids as a "ploy" by the BJP government at the Centre to "harass" its political opponents.

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India News Reported by , Edited by
The recovery of Rs 20 crore by Enforcement Directorate from the house of a "close associate" of West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee has brought the focus back on the alleged teacher recruitment scam in the state.

Here are the top 5 facts on teacher recruitment scam in West Bengal:

  1. The Enforcement Directorate, in a statement, said that the Rs 20 crore recovered at Arpita Mukherjee residence is "suspected to be proceeds of crime of the said SSC scam". A small-time actor, Arpita Mukherjee was the face of promotional campaigns for Partha Chatterjee's Durga Puja committee in 2019 and 2020.

  2. Apart from the Enforcement Directorate, or ED, the alleged scam is being investigated by Central Bureau of Investigation. While the ED is looking into the money trail in the scam, the CBI is investigating the alleged irregularities in the recruitment of Group-C and D staff and teachers in state-sponsored and aided schools.

  3. The alleged scam was pulled off when Partha Chatterjee, currently industries and commerce minister, held the education portfolio. He was interrogated by the CBI twice, once on April 26 and then on May 18.

  4. The ED has also conducted raids on Minister of State for Education Paresh Adhikary and MLA Manik Bhattacharya in connection with the alleged scam. Paresh Adhikaryi had also been interrogated by the CBI with his daughter losing her job as school teacher.

  5. The ruling Trinamool Congress described the raids as a "ploy" by the BJP government at the Centre to "harass" its political opponents. Denying any role to play in the issue, the BJP has claimed the CBI and ED are "progressing on right path" and that "more skeletons will tumble out of the cupboard".

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