"I am the victim of a grave conspiracy,” Mallick said while being escorted away by ED officials and CRPF jawans from his home in Salt Lake to the ED office in CGO complex.
West Bengal Forest Minister Jyotipriya Mallick was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate early on Friday morning after being questioned for over 20 hours in connection to the ‘ration scam’. Mallick, who was former food minister of the state, was arrested at 3.23 am on Friday.
“I am the victim of a grave conspiracy,” Mallick said while being escorted away by ED officials and CRPF jawans from his home in Salt Lake to the ED office in CGO complex.
The ED had raided eight residences including that of Mallick and his associates in connection with a case related to the alleged corruption in ration distribution when Mallick was the food minister. The ED is investigating Mallick’s links to businessman Bakibur Rahman, who was recently arrested in the case, sources said.
Officials of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrived at the minister’s house in Salt Lake at around 6:30 am on Thursday. The ED has been conducting search operations since Thursday morning in two flats of the BC block, Salt Lake (BC 244 and BC 245) which reportedly belong to the minister. The ED also conducted a search at the residence of Mallick’s personal assistant Amit Dey in Nagerbazar in the North 24 Paraganas district.
Rahman was arrested last week following an ED raid at his flat in Kaikhali that lasted more than 53 hours. According to ED sources, more than 100 documents with stamps of government offices were found in his flat. Rahman owns several hotels, resorts and bars besides a rice mill business. ED sources said a preliminary investigation has shown that investments of more than Rs 50 crore were made in his companies.
Questioning why a single BJP leader’s house has not been raided yet, she said: “The son of a Chief Minister’s house was raided. My question is, will the country run in this way? They are changing the law anytime. They are calling a standing committee meeting whenever they want. They are suddenly saying change the name of India and start using Bharat. Why are you so scared?”Addressing the press at her residence in Kalighat on Thursday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Bannerjee slammed the BJP-led Central Government and Central agencies. She alleged that her party leaders and ministers are being harassed after Durga Puja. She claimed the central agencies were ransacking the house of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders. “They are pulling down ghee and oil bottles, taking pictures of sarees and cosmetics in the name of raids,” she alleged.
“Balu (Jyotipriya Mallick) already has diabetes. His physical condition is also very bad. If he dies, I will file an FIR against BJP and ED,” the Chief Minister said.
Meanwhile, claiming that Mallick’s arrest was ‘certain’, State BJP President Dr Sukanta Majumdar said that “Mamata Banerjee sympathises with thieves.”
Earlier, Leader of Opposition Suvendhu Adhikari claimed that Rahman had known Mallick since 2012. “It is a very very big scam,” he alleged.
“It is not surprising, the raid should have happened before. The agency has found links to properties worth crores of rupees owned by Bakibur Rahman. It is an open secret whose these properties really belong to,” alleged BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar.
West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury had earlier alleged that Rahman was operating with the help of senior TMC leaders and ministers. On Thursday, Chowdhury said: “This a big scam. From the food minister to ration dealers, all are involved, even the police. We all want stern action and punishment for those involved, but we are unfortunately not seeing anything like that.”
Chowdhury alleged Rahman is a key player in the siphoning of food grains, which reached new heights during the Covid-19 pandemic. “Food grains were stolen even from the quota allotted for mid-day meals served to school children,” he alleged.
Earlier this year, TMC’s Partha Chatterjee and his close aide Arpita Banerjee was arrested by ED in a ‘school jobs scam’.
