Minister of State for Education Paresh Chandra Adhikary, who is under the CBI scanner over his alleged involvement in the “illegal” appointment of his daughter Ankita Adhikary as an assistant teacher in a government-aided school, on Tuesday left for his home town in Cooch Behar, despite the central agency instructing him not to leave Kolkata, said CBI sources.
Adhikary took a flight to Bagdogra from Kolkata around 7.30 am on Tuesday, said sources.
“We had told the minister not to leave the city. We have come to know that he left for Bagdogra this morning. We will inquire into the matter,” said an agency official.
Adhikary was questionfor three consecutive three days — around 16-and-a-half hours — and was asked not to leave Kolkata because he would be called for questioning again, said the official.
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Adhikary left the Forward Bloc and joined TMC in 2018. Incidentally, his daughter was recruited as a teacher the same year.
The CBI has, meanwhile, sought income tax (I-T) return papers of Minister of Commerce and Industries Partha Chatterjee, Paresh Adhikary and Anubrata Mondal from the income tax (I-T) department.
According to CBI sources, the central agency has sought these documents from the three ruling party leaders and the income tax department to match them together.
Chatterjee and Adhikary are under the CBI scanner into the alleged SSC recruitment scam.
Meanwhile, the central agency disconnected the internet connection of the School Service Commission (SSC) office here to prevent any attempts to hack the commission’s server, said another official.
“For the time being, no one can enter the SSC building except the chairman, advisor to the chairman, stenographer, secretary, and assistant secretary. We have also sealed the server and database room. Today, we have decided to disconnect the Internet connection of that server room so that no one from outside can hack it,” he said.
The CBI also sealed at least 14 computers and eight cupboards in the server room.
In 2016, the Mamata Banerjee-led government recommended the appointment of around 13,000 group D staff in state-run schools. Based on the recommendation, the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBCSSC) conducted exams and interviews and finalised a panel to prepare the merit list. The validity of the panel expired on May 4, 2019.
However, a section of candidates, who failed to secure appointments despite being enlisted on the merit list, moved court, alleging that the commission had illegally recommended appointments by the panel even after its expiry. The court later handed over the case to CBI.
— WIITH PTI inputs
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/west-bengal-teachers-recruitment-scam-ssc-job-7934545/
