Abhishek Banerjee, the General Secretary of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at the CGO Complex in Salt Lake on Monday in connection with the primary school recruitment scam.
The Diamond Harbour MP left his Kalighat residence at around 10:15 am, well ahead of his scheduled appearance at 11:00 am, and reached the ED office before time.
In a notable departure from previous occasions, the scene at the CGO Complex lacked the heightened security arrangements typically seen during the appearance of a high-profile leader. No additional deployment of police or central forces was observed, and there were no special restrictions on traffic or media access, marking an unusual administrative shift.
Banerjee’s appearance before the ED comes amid a series of ongoing legal developments. On Sunday, he underwent an extensive eight-and-a-half-hour interrogation at the CID headquarters in Bhabani Bhavan in connection with an alleged Legislative Assembly signature forgery case. During the session, he was questioned alongside Beleghata MLA Kunal Ghosh. Following the interrogation, Banerjee visited Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at her residence.
The legal scrutiny is set to continue, with the CID summoning him again on Tuesday. Additionally, investigators are expected to question him on Wednesday in connection with a separate case registered in Salt Lake over a controversial remark.
While the Calcutta High Court has directed Banerjee to cooperate with the investigation into the Assembly forgery case, it has granted him interim protection from coercive action for two weeks. However, this protection does not extend to the recruitment scam or the Salt Lake case.
The ED has been conducting a parallel probe into the primary teacher recruitment scam. Central agencies are examining an audio clip cited in a charge sheet filed by the CBI, which allegedly references funds from the illegal sale of jobs being routed to a person named “Abhishek Banerjee.” To verify the claims, the voice sample of Sujay Krishna Bhadra, an accused in the case, was analysed.
Investigators are now seeking to incorporate the audio clip into the ED’s ongoing probe. Additionally, financial transactions linked to Banerjee’s company, ‘Leaps and Bounds’, have come under scrutiny. Sources suggest that the MP may face detailed questioning based on financial documents and evidence gathered during earlier interrogations.
The investigation into the recruitment scam continues to widen, with central agencies intensifying efforts to trace financial links and establish accountability.
Also read: CID questions Abhishek Banerjee, Ghosh in signature forgery case
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