West Bengal SSC Scam: CBI arrests North Bengal University VC Subires Bhattacharyya

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested North Bengal University VC Subires Bhattacharyya in the teachers' recruitment scam in West Bengal, news agency PTI reported on Monday. Bhattacharyya was the chairman of the School Service Commission (SSC) from 2014 to 2018. His name cropped up during the probe into the alleged irregularities in the appointment of teaching and non-teaching staff.

The development comes just days after the central agency conducted raids at six locations in Delhi and Kolkata at the premises of a software company in connection with the scam. The company's role came under the scanner after it was suspected that records were manipulated to favour some candidates in the recruitment.

In May this year, the CBI registered an FIR against the then West Bengal Minister of State for Education Paresh Chandra Adhikary and his daughter Ankita Adhikary. They were booked On the directions of the Calcutta High Court. Adhikary's daughter had secured a teacher job allegedly using fraudulent means.

The ED is also probing the money-laundering angle in the scam. The agency has already arrested former state education minister Partha Chatterjee and his close aide Arpita Mukherjee. Today, it informed that it has attached assets worth Rs. 48.22 crore belonging to Chatterjee and Mukherjee.

The attached properties include flats, a farmhouse, a bank balance, and prime land in the city of Kolkata.

The former education minister was arrested after the ED carried out raids at multiple locations and recovered Rs 49.80 crore and gold & jewellery valued at more than Rs 5.08 crore from two premises. The raids were conducted on 22 and 27 July 2022.