Kolkata, Dec 7 () The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday presented a 160-page supplementary chargesheet at a special court in Kolkata, where it named Trinamool Congress legislator and the former president of West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) chairman, Manik Bhattacharya, his son Souvik Bhattacharya and wife, Satarupa Bhattacharya.
Besides Bhattacharya, his wife and son, the fourth person named in the chargesheet is Tapas Mondal, a close associate of Bhattacharya and the president of All Bengal Teachers’ Training Achievers’ Association (ABTTAA).
Mondal is also a prime witness in the teachers’ recruitment scam.
The ED’s supplementary chargesheet has been filed on the 58th day since its sleuths arrested Bhattacharya on October 10.
ED sources said that in the supplementary chargesheet, sleuths have referred to how Bhattacharya and his son collected money from the different private teachers training colleges in the state.
It has also been mentioned in the chargesheet that a large portion of the proceeds were deposited to the account held by his son, Souvik Bhattacharya.
In the chargesheet, ED sources said that there is a mention on how Manik Bhattacharya kept a particular joint account held by his wife Satarupa Bhattacharya and one individual, Mrityunjoy Chakraborty, even after years of the latter’s demise by using his identity proofs as KYC.
The supplementary chargesheet also mentions the details of the properties and assets in the names of Bhattacharya, his son and wife.
On Wednesday, Manik Bhattacharya was presented at the special PMLA court for hearing.
In the court, he completely broke down as he was informed that the name of his son and wife have been included in the chargesheet. “Let me die but do not let my wife and son be involved in the matter,” he was heard telling his counsel.
In its previous chargesheet, ED has described Bhattacharya as a close partner of former West Bengal education minister and ex-Trinamool Congress secretary general, Partha Chatterjee in this teachers’ recruitment scam. ED has even procured a WhatsApp message from a whistle-blower alerting Chatterjee about Bhattacharya’s involvement in the scam, which the former education minister forwarded to Chatterjee.
src/pgh