CBI searches residences of Bengal minister Firhad Hakim, TMC MLA Madan Mitra

Kolkata: The CBI on Sunday conducted searches at 12 locations, including residences of senior West Bengal minister Firhad Hakim and TMC MLA Madan Mitra, in different parts of the state in connection with its probe into alleged irregularities in recruitments made by civic bodies, officials said.

Hakim, who is the minister of urban development and municipal affairs and the mayor of Kolkata, is a senior leader of the Trinamool Congress and has significant sway in the party's organisation.

Officials said a CBI team, along with a large contingent of central forces, reached Hakim’s residence in south Kolkata's Chetla area in the morning.

Two CBI sleuths entered Hakim's residence around 9 am and questioned him till 6.30 pm, an official said.

"We questioned him whether he had knowledge about irregularities in the recruitment process. Some documents were seized," the CBI officer told PTI.

As the searches began, Hakim's supporters gathered outside his house, and began a protest.

A CBI team also searched the residence of Mitra, a former minister and the MLA of Kamarhati in North 24 Parganas district, in Bhowanipore area, around 3 km from Hakim's residence in Chetla.

"The investigations have revealed that Mitra had a specific role in the recruitments made in Kamarhati Municipality," the official claimed.

The CBI officers left Mitra's Bhowanipore residence around 5 pm.

Among the other places that the CBI searched were the houses of former chairman of Kanchrapara Municipality Sudama Roy, ex-chairman of Halisahar Municipality Angshuman Roy and Krishnanagar Municipality's former chief Ashim Ghosh, officials said.

"CBI today conducted searches around 12 places, including Kolkata, Kanchrapara, Barrackpore, Halisahar, Dumdum, North Dumdum, Krishnanagar, Taki, Kamarhati, Chetla and Bhowanipore, at the premises of certain persons, including public servants in an ongoing investigation of a case," a spokesperson of the agency said.

Slamming the action, the TMC said it was a desperate attempt to divert attention from its ongoing demonstration outside the Raj Bhavan over demands for central funds.

"This is an attempt to divert the public's attention from the ongoing protest outside Raj Bhavan led by Abhishek Banerjee. The BJP appears to be sensing a growing public discontent, and they are using every means at their disposal to change the narrative. This is a clear example of vendetta politics," senior TMC MP Sougata Roy charged.

Rejecting the allegations, BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said, "If the TMC has nothing to hide, why are they afraid of ED and CBI?".

"Whenever TMC leaders are summoned by the ED or CBI, they cry foul and accuse the agencies of being politically motivated. Yet, the reality is that the TMC is deeply mired in corruption with nearly every leader facing some allegation or the other," he claimed.

The CPI(M) alleged that large-scale corruption happened in the recruitments made by the civic bodies.

"The central agencies stepped in as the state CID failed," CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty claimed.

Both Hakim and Mitra were arrested by the CBI in 2021 in the Narada sting operation case. Mitra was also arrested by the CBI in 2014 in the Saradha chit fund scam.

On Thursday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) searched multiple locations, including the residence of Food and Supplies Minister Rathin Ghosh, in connection with the recruitment case.

It is alleged by the central investigating agencies that around 1,500 people were illegally recruited by different civic bodies in the state between 2014 and 2018 against monetary considerations.

The agency had taken over the case on the orders of Calcutta High Court.

"It was alleged that all contracts pertaining to various municipalities, district primary school councils etc. for the recruitment of Group C and Group D employees were given to the said (single) company. It was further alleged that the said company was entrusted with all the tasks like setting up of question papers, printing and scanning of OMR sheets and preparation of final merit list," the spokesperson said.

He said it was also alleged that the director of the said private company and others, including public servants, hatched conspiracy among themselves and in pursuant to that conspiracy, the accused (being responsible for the printing, designing and evaluation of OMR sheets) allegedly facilitated the illegal appointments of several unmeritorious candidates in several municipalities in lieu of money.