The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday carried out raids on at least seven properties in and around Kolkata allegedly linked to Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA and former minister Madan Mitra, in connection with irregularities in municipal appointments in West Bengal, an Enforcement Directorate (ED) official said.
“ED teams have searched seven premises linked to Mitra in the municipal recruitment scam. The investigation is ongoing,” an ED official said.
The search operations began around 6 am and were carried out almost simultaneously at all seven locations, including the former minister’s residence in Bhabanipur, south Kolkata.
Other places where raids were conducted include Belighata, Dakshineshwar, Santoshpur and others.
The Enforcement Directorate, which was investigating the revelation of money laundering trail in the school recruitment case in the state, got a whiff of irregularities in municipal recruitment in March 2023.
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The federal agency informed the Calcutta High Court, which had earlier ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe alleged irregularities in government schools, about the irregularities in municipal appointments.
In April 2023, the Calcutta High Court ordered the CBI to investigate alleged irregularities in municipal appointments. The CEO launched a parallel investigation based on the FIR registered by the CBI.
In July 2024, the CBI told the Calcutta High Court that it had found irregularities in more than 1,800 appointments made since 2014 in 17 civic bodies in the state.
The federal agency said at least 3,650 people have been appointed to various positions such as laborer, sweeper, clerk, laborer, ambulance attendant, pump operator and driver, among others. There are 121 civic bodies in West Bengal.
The CBI also told the court that the maximum number of alleged violations occurred in the municipalities of South Dum Dum (329), Kamarhati (303), Baranagar (276), Titagarh (221), Krishnanagar (200) and Ranaghat (101), among others. Mitra is a two-time MLA from Kamarhati.
“The investigation conducted so far has revealed that Mitra received bribes in the form of cash and went through middlemen in connection with the appointment of undeserving candidates to various posts in different municipalities, including Kamarhati municipality. Madan Mitra is linked to more than 125 such illegal appointments. Further investigations are underway,” a directorate official said.
This piece will be updated when Mitra responds to HT’s request for comment.
