Bengal ration scam: TMC's Shankar Adhya arrested amid mob attacks
What's the story
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and former Bongaon Municipality Chairman, Shankar Adhya, in a ration distribution scam case.
This followed a raid on his home in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district, where Rs. 8 lakhs were allegedly found.
Adhya's arrest came hours after an ED team was reportedly attacked when it approached TMC leader Shah Jahan Sheikh's residence in the district.
Former Food Minister Jyotipriyo Mallick has already been arrested in the multi-crore scam.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The ED has ramped up raids in the alleged Bengal ration distribution scam over the past few months.
According to the probe agency, nearly 30% of the Public Distribution System (PDS) ration meant for beneficiaries in the state was diverted to the open market.
The proceeds of the crime were then shared between the millers and PDS distributors, it said.
Last October, the ED arrested Mallick in the case and started investigating the role of other TMC leaders.
What Next?
Adhya's family claimed he was being framed
Adhya's wife, Jyosna, claimed her husband was being framed and was arrested despite cooperating with officials, News18 reported.
"Yesterday they came in the morning we cooperated with them but at 12:30 night they told us that they would arrest him because of Jyotipriyo Mallick. He has been framed and these are false things," she said.
ED officers also raided the residence of Adhya's father-in-law and two of his associates.
They reportedly took some documents and bank details, besides questioning neighbors.
Details
ED attacked during raid on TMC leader Sheikh's residence
In a separate incident, a mob attacked ED officers during a raid on Sheikh's residence on Friday. He is a block-level TMC leader in North 24 Parganas district.
The mob, consisting of 800-1,000 people, "intended to cause death" to the officers, the ED alleged.
Three ED officials were severely injured, and their belongings, including mobile phones, wallets, and laptops, were stolen.
The officers had to leave their damaged vehicles and flee the area in auto-rickshaws and two-wheelers.
Twitter Post
Watch: Senior ED official seriously injured in attack
This is a senior ED official. He just survived a murderous attack on his life. He had gone to Bengal's Sandeshkhali to raid the premises of a TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh accused in the multi-crore Ration scam.
— Anand Ranganathan (@ARanganathan72) January 5, 2024
No media outrage. Because Democracy is alive and kicking in Bengal. pic.twitter.com/NTx7n6Crkx
Insights
Political row erupted over attack on ED officers
Meanwhile, the attack sparked a political row between the Centre and West Bengal governments.
West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose condemned the incident, stating that the state is not a "banana republic."
The TMC called the incident a "conspiracy" by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and claimed that "unruly elements attached to the central agencies provoked locals."
Whereas, BJP leaders, including Union Minister Nisith Pramanik, accused the TMC government of "lawlessness in Bengal," calling it a "threat to national security."
History
TMC leaders under investigation in Bengal
The state's former food minister, Mallick, and several other TMC leaders are under investigation in cases that include cattle smuggling, coal smuggling scams, school recruitment, and irregularities in civic body recruitment.
In 2022, former state Education Minister Partha Chatterjee was arrested over alleged corruption in a teachers' recruitment scam case.
Moreover, top TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee and his wife were questioned in the teacher recruitment and coal smuggling scam cases.