Agartala:A local of Bishalgarh in West Tripura sent Deputy Director of Information and Cultural Affairs department and former BDO of Bishalgarh Bimal Chakraborty to five days police remand yesterday when he has surrendered before Sub-Divisional judicial magistrate.
While allowing police to interrogate him in lock up, the court issued warrant against other 11 accused of Rs 17 Cr MGNREGA fun scam in Tripura, which is assumed to be increased up to Rs 44 Cr in past two years. Mr Chakraborty is the prime accused of misappropriation of MGNREGA fund during his tenure as BDO in Bishalgarh.
On September 19 last, the incumbent BDO of Bishalgarh Subrata Das lodged FIR against Bimal and 11 others official in the local police station. After a month of lodging FIR on Oct 20 last, the state government had suspended him from the service. Despite his unauthorized absent in duty for a month to evade arrest, the govt did not take any action against him. Bimal accompanied by his defense lawyer surrendered before the court and police demanded 10 days custody. However, court sent him police remand for five days.
He will be produced before the court again on Oct 27 next. The state audit department found misappropriation of Rs 17 Cr amount sanctioned under MGNREGA scheme in seven village Panchayats and audit is not completed in rest 29 Panchayats and 11 Village councils under ADC. Audit officials however, statedtotal misappropriation in the block during Bimal’s tenures has already crossed Rs 44 Cr but audit is not completed in the all the expenditure incurred since 2011-12.
After completion of audit in seven Panchayats the then Finance Minister Badal Choudhury asked the administration to lodge FIR against Bimal and others within a week on May 19 this year. On May 23, Badal Choudhury was shifted from finance to health and file was kept in abeyance till opposition congress exposed it on September 18 this year. In cabinet reshuffle, finance portfolio went to Bhanu Lal Saha, elected from Bishalgarh and accused in the scam.
Bimal Chakraborty belongs to a powerful CPI-M family and close to Manik Sarkar. His elder brother Amal Chakraborty is CPI-M youth wing DYFI’s Secretary. Another elder brother Kamal Chakraborty is Commandant of Tripura State Rifles and eldest brother Shyamal Chakraborty is a Chemistry teacher in Calcutta University who is proposed to be Vice Chancellor of newly coming Tripura state university. Opposition Congress has demanded to shift the trial of Bimal Chakraborty from Bishalgarh Judicial Magistrate Court as Bimal’s sister in-law and Kamal’s wife Susmita is working as PA of the Magistrate.
There is every possibility of her influence in the case, said leader of the opposition Sudip Roy Barman and added, Bimal’s surrendered in holiday court assumed to be significant because on Oct 27 next Congress is going to High Court demanding CBI probe into the corruption. “Chief Minister Manik Sarkar is in fear if CBI comes, everything will be opened and his camouflage character will be exposed before the nation.(UNI)
