Kolkata: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday arrested North Bengal University vice chancellor Subires Bhattacharyya in connection with the assistant teachers' recruitment scam in West Bengal in 2016, officials said.
Bhattacharyya, who was the former chairperson of the West Bengal Central School Service Commission, was called for questioning at the CBI office in Kolkata. Finding him non-cooperative, the CBI took him into custody, Bhattacharyya had chaired the Commission from 2014-18. The CBI had take up the probe on the directives of Calcutta High Court, they said.
It is alleged that then Commission advisor S P Sinha along with others had extended undue advantage to undeserving, non-listed and below ranked candidates in the appointment of assistant teachers for Classes 9 and 10 in the state level selection test held by the Commission in 2016.
The agency had recently taken custody of Sinha, who was already in judicial custody in connection with a separate FIR. The accused allegedly flouted the rules of the Commission and deprived deserving and genuine candidates from appointment as assistant teacher, the CBI alleged in the FIR registered on April 7 this year.
CBI investigators went to Subiresh Bhattacharya's flat in Kolkata's Bansdroni police station area on Monday morning. He was interrogated for a long time. It is known that due to inconsistency in his statement, CBI arrested him on Monday. CBI has sealed his house.
He was the chairman of SSC from 2014 to 2018 and later he also became the Vice-Chancellor of North Bengal University According to CBI sources, Subires Bhattacharya's name popped up during interrogation of former SSC adviser Shantiprasad Sinha.
Subires Bhattacharya may be taken to Nizam Palace after his arrest. After the physical examination, the investigators can interrogate him again. Earlier, CBI went to North Bengal and interrogated him.
