Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said there were complaints that her former cabinet colleague Rajib Banerjee had manipulated the recruitment of “ban sahayaks (forest workers)” and a probe was on into the enrolment.

Mamata didn’t name the former forest minister who had quit the Trinamul Congress and joined the BJP last month. Banerjee denied the charge and said he had rejected certain Trinamul leaders’ recommendations in the selection process.

The state forest department headed by Banerjee had last year launched a drive to engage around 2,000 “ban sahayaks” on contract. They would be deployed for conservation and protection of forests across the state and for other activities of the department.

Addressing a public meeting at the Parade Ground in Alipurduar, Mamata trained guns at her former cabinet colleague. “Somebody who was with us and has joined the BJP recently …. I have received complaints that he has done some manipulations in the recent recruitment of Ban Sahayaks. We are conducting an investigation,” said the chief minister.