Kolkata, Oct 31 — Only one of the five former ministers of the previous Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government arrested during the first six months of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led regime in West Bengal is currently out on bail. The cases concern alleged wrongdoing during the previous Trinamool Congress government's tenure.
The arrests of former ministers began with former state Fire Services Minister Sujit Bose. Three other former ministers were subsequently arrested: Dilip Mondal, who served as Minister of State for Transport; Ujjal Biswas, the former Correctional Services Minister; and Udyana Guha, who held the North Bengal Development portfolio.
The latest to join the list is Indranil Sen, former state Tourism Minister and Minister of State for Information and Cultural Affairs. The singer-turned-politician was arrested earlier this week in connection with an alleged fake Durga Puja pass scam linked to festival tours associated with the UNESCO-tagged celebration.
Of the five former ministers, Biswas is the only one currently out on bail. Sen is in police custody, while the other three, along with Bose, are in judicial custody.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Bose in connection with the multi-crore cash-for-jobs case involving municipal recruitment in West Bengal. Mondal, Biswas and Guha were arrested by the West Bengal Police in cases involving allegations of corruption, extortion and political violence.
Sen was arrested by Kolkata Police earlier this week. He is the only one among the five against whom the ED and the city police have been conducting parallel investigations into the alleged fake Durga Puja pass scam linked to tours organised around the UNESCO-tagged festival.
The case against Sen has drawn particular attention in view of the ED's investigation, after the name of former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee figured in the agency's findings.
Earlier this month, the ED issued a statement naming Banerjee in connection with a transaction involving Octave Records, a company owned by Sen.
According to the agency, nearly Rs 30 lakh was allegedly transferred from the company's accounts to Banerjee through banking channels. Sen, however, maintained that the payment was made towards royalty.
Separately, a judicial inquiry commission constituted by the West Bengal government to examine alleged institutional corruption during the previous Trinamool Congress regime has initiated an inquiry involving Sen.