The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday carried out searches at seven premises linked to Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA and former Bengal minister Madan Mitra as part of its investigation into the alleged municipality recruitment scam in West Bengal.
According to information gathered during the probe so far, the agency suspects that bribes were paid for appointments of candidates who were allegedly not eligible for various posts in several municipalities across the state. Investigators believe that cash and gold were routed through middlemen and eventually reached Mitra in connection with the recruitment process.
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The ED has alleged that the payments were linked to appointments made in different civic bodies, including the Kamarhati Municipality.
Sources said the agency’s investigation has so far linked Mitra to more than 125 appointments that are under scrutiny. These appointments are being examined to establish whether recruitment rules were followed and whether any candidates secured jobs through illegal means.
The municipality recruitment case is part of a wider investigation into alleged irregularities in recruitment to public sector positions in West Bengal. Over the past few years, several recruitment-related cases have come under the scanner of central investigative agencies.
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The searches come amid a pre-dawn police operation at the Kalighat residence of TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. A large police team, accompanied by central forces, conducted a raid that lasted several hours in connection with a case registered in Paschim Medinipur district.
Madan Mitra has not publicly responded to the latest allegations at the time of writing. The ED has said that further investigation is underway.
