ED identifies 222 teachers appointed from expired panel in Bengal

Kolkata: In the prevailing case of Bengal teaching staff recruitment row, the Enforcement Directorate identified 222 individuals from an expired panel, who were recommended for teaching jobs in government schools in West Bengal.

Sources said that out of these 222 individuals, 183 were in the secondary teachers’ category, while remaining 39 were in the higher secondary teachers’ category. Sources said that the central agency officials secured this information after interrogation of a state education department official.

On the basis of his statement the ED officials have prepared a list with the names of these 222 individuals, which they have submitted to the court. ED sleuths have identified that most of these 222 individuals were recommended for appointment by SP Sinha, who was heading the screening committee of the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC), at that time.

The screening committee was constituted by the commission during the tenure of Partha Chatterjee as the-then state education minister, who is currently behind bars because of his alleged involvement in the school job case. A judicial probe committee formed earlier and headed by retired Justice Ranjit Kumar Bag had observed that the screening committee was constituted flouting all norms and Sinha was made to head that committee to facilitate illegal recruitments of teaching and non- teaching staff in state-run schools.

Sources said that the ED has also informed the court that of the 222 individuals identified by their officials, some were those who took leading roles in the movement against irregularities in recruitments in schools. Hence, it is perceived that they were recommended by vested interests to weaken the movement against the irregularities to an extent.

Source: IANS