Kolkata: The CBI arrested first time Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Jiban Krishna Saha Monday morning in connection with the alleged teachers’ recruitment scam. The Central probe agency reached Jiban’s residence Friday to carry out raids.
While the Trinamool MLA is being brought to Kolkata, where he will be produced before a special CBI Court, another team of CBI continues to carry out searches at his residence in Kandi.
Saha is the third MLA from the ruling Trinamool Congress to be arrested by the Central agency. Earlier, minister Partha Chatterjee and later MLA Manik Bhattacharya were arrested in the alleged scam.
Sources in the CBI told ThePrint that they are currently investigating transactions between the MLA and job seekers, totaling approximately Rs 300 crore. The CBI team was led by Superintendent of Police (SP) Kollan Bhattacharya of Kolkata’s anti-corruption branch. The CBI will seek 14-day remand of Saha.
During the search of Saha’s home — which lasted more than 65 hours — the CBI seized six bags containing documents of candidates, as well as admit cards, a hard disk, and a pen drive. The CBI claims that the TMC MLA allegedly received bribes ranging from Rs 6-15 lakh per candidate in exchange for facilitating illegal appointments in state government-run schools. The CBI suspects that this arrangement involved over 3,000 job seekers and unsuccessful candidates.
As the raids were being conducted, Saha reportedly threw a mobile phone into the pond adjacent to his residence. The CBI, though, was able to retrieve the phone and it has now been added to the list of seized items.
From teacher to politician
A teacher by profession, Saha belongs to a business family, say reports. In 2004, Saha began teaching at a primary school before taking a transfer to Birbhum district where he joined Debagram High School in 2013. Known to be a close aide of TMC Birbhum District President Anubrata Mondal, he has been associated with the party since his college days.
Saha fought the 2021 West Bengal elections and became the first TMC MLA to win from the Burwan Assembly constituency, defeating BJP’s Amiya Das with 2,753 votes. He quit teaching after that.
According to reports, His father, Biswanath Saha owns an oil mill and a potato cold storage in Sainthia in the state’s Birbhum district and runs a ration distribution centre. Saha currently oversees these businesses for his father. His wife Togore Saha was appointed a teacher in 2017 in Andi Primary School, located within 100 meters from their home.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
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