In the first such development since the declaration of the Assembly election results on May 4, senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and former minister in Mamata Banerjee’s cabinet Sujit Bose appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday for questioning in connection with the alleged municipal recruitment corruption case. Bose, a former state minister, reached the ED office at the CGO Complex in Salt Lake accompanied by his lawyer, as the central agency intensified its probe into alleged irregularities in municipal hiring.
According to ED sources, investigators have come across indications of widespread irregularities in recruitment processes across several municipalities, including North Dum Dum, South Dum Dum and Halisahar. Bose had served as the Deputy Chairman of the South Dum Dum Municipality for a considerable period, and officials are seeking to ascertain whether he had any role in the alleged practice of securing jobs for ineligible candidates in exchange for money. His name reportedly surfaced during the investigation based on documents recovered from the residence of Ayan Sil, a real estate promoter who was arrested in connection with the case.
As part of the probe, the ED had earlier conducted extensive search operations at Bose’s residence, his office, and even a roadside eatery owned by him. His son, Samudra Bose, along with other family members, had also been summoned for questioning. Though Bose had been called multiple times prior to the elections, he did not appear, citing his commitments as a candidate from the Bidhannagar constituency. Following a directive from the Calcutta High Court, he made his first appearance before the agency on May 1. For Monday’s round of questioning, he was reportedly asked to produce additional documents relevant to the investigation.
Despite repeated interrogation, Bose has maintained that he is fully cooperating with the investigation and has asserted that his name does not feature in the chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is also probing the case. The ED is currently examining whether any financial transactions or links related to recruitment took place during his tenure in the Madhyamgram and South Dum Dum municipalities.
Political observers note that the intensity of action by central investigative agencies has increased following the change in power in the state. Bose’s appearance has added to unease within the TMC camp, particularly at a time when Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has issued stern warnings from Nabanna about reopening corruption cases. Even as a high-level meeting between the Chief Minister and senior police officials was underway at Nabanna, the state secretariat, on Monday, Bose was being questioned by ED officers behind closed doors at the CGO Complex.
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