KOLKATA: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday served a summons to Abhishek Banerjee, national general secretary of the Trinamool Congress and MP from Diamond Harbour in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, asking him to appear before the central investigating agency on June 15 in connection with the alleged primary school recruitment irregularities scam.
The summons comes at a time when the nephew of former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is also facing a separate probe by the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) over the alleged forgery of signatures of several Trinamool Congress MLAs.
Sources said a team of ED officers visited Banerjee's residence on Kalighat Road in south Kolkata on Wednesday evening and delivered the summons to a member of his staff as he was not present at home.
The Diamond Harbour MP, considered the number two leader in the Trinamool Congress after Mamata Banerjee, has been directed to appear before the agency at its CGO Complex office in Salt Lake.
The ED has been probing the primary teacher recruitment scam since 2022. The agency has conducted multiple raids at properties linked to Trinamool Congress leaders in connection with the case and arrested several heavyweights, including former state education minister Partha Chatterjee.
Over the past year, the ED has questioned several officials and attached assets worth crores of rupees. Investigators suspect a wider conspiracy involving fraudulent appointments, tampered merit lists and intermediaries who allegedly facilitated illegal teacher postings in state-run schools.
Besides the ED, which is probing the trail of the proceeds of crime, the CBI is investigating other aspects of the case. Both agencies have been filing charge sheets in phases as evidence is consolidated.
The ED is also examining the role of Abhishek Banerjee-linked Leaps and Bounds Pvt Ltd in connection with the case after detecting suspicious transactions allegedly linked to accused middlemen, officials said.
The company has been raided and its assets attached as part of the money-laundering probe. Banerjee has firmly denied any wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, the special investigation team (SIT) of the CID has already issued notices to Banerjee asking him to appear at Bhabani Bhaban, the West Bengal Police headquarters in Alipore, for questioning in connection with the alleged forgery of signatures of several Trinamool Congress MLAs.
The case relates to a letter submitted to Rathindranath Bose, Speaker of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, regarding the election of party legislator Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of the Opposition of the Trinamool Congress legislature party in the House.
(With inputs from PTI)