The CBI questioned Subires Bhattachayya, vice-chancellor of North Bengal University, at his flat in Kolkata on Thursday, a day after sleuths from the agency quizzed him at his office in Siliguri in connection with the alleged irregularities in recruitments in government-aided schools.
Bhattacharyya, who reached his Bansdroni apartment with his wife hours ahead of the CBI team’s arrival, said there were no irregularities in appointments during his tenure as chairman of the West Bengal School Service Commission.
“There was no corruption during my tenure. There might have been procedural flaws,” Bhattacharyya told reporters outside his apartment in Bansdroni, hours before a team of CBI officers turned up.
“The report of the Bag committee (appointed by the high court to look into the allegations of irregularities) has found nothing criminal in my role as chairman. I have 100 per cent faith in the CBI.”
A CBI team had visited Bhattacharyya’s apartment on Wednesday and sealed it.
On reaching their apartment from Siliguri on Thursday, Bhattacharyya and his wife had to wait outside for around two hours till officers from the agency arrived around 5pm and broke the seal.
While a few sleuths questioned Bhattacharyya, others searched the apartment for documents related to appointments during his tenure as the school service commission chairman.
Asked about the CBI’s visit to his official residence on Wednesday, Bhattacharyya said: “The CBI did not find anything at the official residence. As for the rest, you can ask them (CBI officers). I can only say they are moving in the right direction and the real facts will emerge very soon.”
Senior officers in the CBI said they wanted to know about the mechanism of arriving at ranks of the candidates who cleared recruitment tests and how they were selected for appointment.
The high court had earlier asked retired judge Ranjit Kumar Bag to file a report on the alleged irregularities.
The report has named Bhattacharyya, sources said.
Another CBI team visited the office of Pradip Singh in Salt Lake and collected some documents on Thursday, hours after arresting him in connection with the alleged irregularities in school appointments.
Investigators said Singh was a “middle man” between the recruiting agency and the candidates.
