Bengal cash-for-school-job case: ED seeks explanation from official on downloading personal file

The Enforcement Directorate's headquarters at New Delhi has taken a strong exception to one of its officials downloading personal files in the computer of an office linked to the prime accused, Sujay Krishna Bhadra, in the cash-for-school-job case in West Bengal while conducting raid and search operations last month.

Sources said that the top brass of ED has sought explanation from the officer concerned on why he resorted to downloading those personal files and that too on a computer belonging to a corporate entity which is under the central scanner and during raid and search operations there.

Sources further said that the agency’s top brass are unhappy over the entire development and feel that such an “irresponsible” action on part of the official has not only diluted the seriousness of the matter but also posed immense embarrassment for the central agency.

Already the cyber-crime division of Kolkata Police has taken up the investigation in the matter following a complaint filed by an employee of the said corporate entity on this count. ED had explained to the city police that the 16 personal files downloaded by one of their officials at the computer of the said corporate entity was done inadvertently while searching for a students’ hostel for his daughter who has recently got admitted to one of the reputed engineering universities in the state.

ED has also clarified that the inadvertent file downloading relating to the students’ hostel was done after the raid and search operations were concluded and they were done under CCTV monitoring and in presence of the employees of the company as well as the independent witnesses present at the spot then. The two independent witnesses present at the spot included a deputy manager and an assistant manager of state- run Punjab National Bank.