Kolkata: The Enforcement Directorate has launched a raid at the residence of West Bengal Minister Jyotipriya Mullick in connection with an alleged case of corruption in rationing distribution. The Centre has often raised questions about alleged irregularities in the public distribution system (PDS) and also trained its guns on the West Bengal government over 'anomalies' in the distribution of food grains during the lockdown.
Accompanied by Central Army jawans the ED sleuths reached the house of former Food Minister and current Forest Minister Jyotipriya Mallick's Salt Lake residence. According to sources, the minister was at home when the raid was conducted.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials conducted search operations in several other places since morning. According to Enforcement Directorate sources, after the arrest of Bakibur Rahman in the ration corruption case, the name of State Food Minister Jyotipriya Mallik came up.
A team with central forces appeared at two houses in the Salt Lake BC block. The ED also raided the house of the minister's aide Amit De, who lives in Dum Dum. According to sources, that flat was found locked.
While investigating the municipal recruitment case, the sleuths came to know about the ration corruption case. Ahead of the puja, the CBI conducted simultaneous raids in various municipalities of the state, and the homes of state minister Firhad Hakim and Kamarhati MLA Madan Mitra were also raided in connection with the municipal recruitment corruption case. This time, the ED officials have conducted a search operation at a total of eight places in the state in the case of ration corruption
