Kolkata: A day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a scathing attack against the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided the residences of several TMC leaders, including an MLA and two councillors since this morning in connection with the alleged irregularities in school recruitment. At least six locations across West Bengal were raided throughout the day.
The most notable was the raid conducted at the residence of Trinamool MLA Aditi Munshi's husband Debraj Chakraborty, councillor in Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation. Following a four-hour search operation at his residence, CBI officers took Chakraborty along with them when they left the residence at around 1 pm.
The next raid was at the residence of another heavyweight TMC councillor Bappaditya Dasgupta, close aide of now-jailed former minister Partha Chatterjee. Dasgupta is a resident of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) 101 ward under the Patuli Police Station.
The raids went beyond Kolkata as CBI sleuths went to Cooch Behar and Murshidabad districts. They raided the residences of Cooch Behar TMC president Sajal Sarkar and also the owner of a BLD college in the Paresh Kar Chowpathi area of the district.
In Murshidabad district, CBI officials raided the houses of Domkal MLA Zafiqul Islam and Sajal Ansari, owner of the BE College at the Kuli Chowrasta intersection of Burwan police station. Sources said Ansari owns several colleges including two B.Ed colleges besides a huge property.
Amid the ongoing raids, the ruling TMC and opposition BJP have started a political war of words. Mayor and minister Firhad Hakim said, "BJP is trying to fight us with agency and police. The more we are affected, the more we will find a space in people's hearts."
Reacting to the raids, BJP leader Rahul Sinha said that the raids have no connection with Amit Shah's visit to the city. "The CBI raids have nothing to do with Amit Shah's arrival in the city. Incidentally, Shah came here when several TMC leaders are in jail, The high court directed the CBI to crack down on the irregularies in teacher recruitment case and so raids are being conducted. Similar operations will be taken in the future as well," Sinha told ETV Bharat.
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