The CBI on Wednesday lodged an FIR against Manik Bhattacharya, a former president of the West Bengal Primary Education Board, after questioning him for almost seven hours at Presidency jail about his alleged role in posting teachers in districts of their choice.
The move follows an order by Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay of Calcutta High Court on Tuesday directing the agency to interrogate Bhattacharya in jail custody and find out his alleged role in the posting of teachers of government-aided primary schools.
Bhattacharya had helmed the board when the candidates were being posted in 2020 based on their performance in the Teachers’ Eligibility Test and interviews.
Bhattacharya, a Trinamul MLA, has been in custody since his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in October last year in connection with alleged irregularities in recruitment of teachers of primary schools.
“An FIR has been filed against Manik Bhattacharya under IPC sections related to cheating, criminal conspiracy, fabricating documents andforgery. He has also been charged under the Prevention of Corruption Act,” said a CBI officer.
CBI officers said the FIR was in addition to the one filed by the ED in connection with alleged irregularities in recruitment of teachers.
The CBI’s FIR dealswith Bhattacharya’s alleged role in posting teachers in four districts — Murshidabad, Bankura, Birbhum and Hooghly.
A few hundred teachers from these districts had alleged corruption in the posting of candidates, prompting the high court to order the CBI to interrogate Bhattacharya in custody.
Within hours of the order by Justice Gangopadhyay, a team of CBI officers turned up at Presidency Correctional Home on Tuesday night and questioned Bhattacharya for over three hours. The interrogation continued on Wednesday.
Officers said they carried a file containing statements by Ratna Chakraborty Bagchi, a former secretary of the primary education board. Chakraborty Bagchi allegedly told the ED that Bhattacharya was aware of a deal on appointments.
She was the board’s secretary when Bhattacharya was president. The ED has questioned her in course of its investigation on the alleged money related to appointment of teachers.
Later in the day, the CBI submitted a report in the high court. The judge said: “The fight has just begun and preparations have to be made for a war.”