West Bengal Teachers’ Recruitment Scam: ED Arrests TMC Leader Santanu Banerjee

Trinamool Congress (TMC) youth wing leader Santanu Banerjee got recently arrested by Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the teachers’ recruitment scam.

He was produced before the Special Court (PMLA) in Kolkata, which remanded him to ED custody till March 24.

The ED stated in a statement that “Santanu Banerjee was acting as a conduit to facilitate the illegal qualification and appointments of primary teachers, Group ‘C’ & ‘D’ staff of schools of the government of West Bengal in lieu of money. Banerjee was in cahoots with (another TMC youth wing leader) Kuntal Ghosh, who is presently in judicial custody for the said illegal activities.”

The ED, in an official release, said that Santanu Banerjee also purchased a number of properties in the name of his family members & companies/firms with the said proceeds of crime.

Earlier, ED arrested Partha Chatterjee, TMC MLA, and former Education minister, his aide Arpita Mukherjee, minister and TMC MLA Manik Bhattacharya, and Kuntal Ghosh in the teachers’ recruitment scam case.

All the accused are currently in judicial custody.

ED has already seized cash amounting to a total of ₹49.80 crores of gold and jewelry valued at more than ₹5.08 crore, as well as provisionally attached properties worth ₹48.22 crores, in connection with the case. The total seizure and attachment stand at ₹111 crores so far.
Further Investigation by the central agency is underway.