After Arpita Mukherjee, the role of another woman who is a close aide of West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee is being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the alleged school jobs scam in the state. The agency also has one Monalisa Das on its radar, it has been reported.
Trinamool Congress Secretary General Partha Chatterjee is in ED custody as it looks for recruitment irregularities in the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC). This comes after ED action recovered over Rs 20 crore of cash from Mukherjee’s residence. Former education minister Chatterjee, under whose watch the scam allegedly took place, was arrested after overnight interrogation. Now after Arpita Mukherjee, the name of Monalisa Das has surfaced.
Who is Monalisa Das?
Das is the head of the department of Bengali at state-run Kazi Nazrul University in Burdwan district’s Asansol.
As per ED sources, her name has emerged from statements by Mukherjee when interrogated.
Das was appointed directly as the head of the department of Bengali when Chatterjee was the state Education Minister in 2013, IANS reported.
The appointment of Monalisa Das created ripples at that time for being promoted directly to the rank of associate professor from assistant professor, when made the head of the department.
People had alleged that her close association with Chatterjee was behind her getting the prized post.
In its findings, ED has come to know of at least 10 properties registered in the name of Das, with most located in Bolpur-Santiniketan in Birbhum district, sources said.
"The total value of these flats is highly disproportionate to the declared income of Das," an ED official was quoted as saying.
Das, however, has claimed total ignorance in the entire matter till now.
"I as a teacher knew Partha Chatterjee, who was then the Education Minister. So in a sense he was my guardian," she was quoted.
READ | What's Partha Chatterjee's alleged connection with Arpita Mukherjee? Why was Partha Chatterjee arrested?
(With inputs from IANS)
