Bengal School Job Case: Abhishek Banerjee Arrives at ED Office

Trinamool Congress national general secretary and the party Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday arrived at the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office at the central government office (CGO) complex in Salt Lake for interrogation in the multi-crore cash-for-school job case.

He left from his residence at Kalighat in South Kolkata at around 11.10 a.m. and reached the ED office at 11.32 a.m. After reaching the CGO complex he went straight to the ED office without answering the queries of the waiting media persons.

This is the first time that he will be facing the questioning from ED in relation to the school job case.

Earlier, the ED had summoned him on June 13 for questioning in connection with the case. However, he skipped that meeting. On May 20, the CBI sleuths questioned Banerjee in connection with the school recruitment case for a marathon nine hours. However, Banerjee himself described the result of that marathon interrogation as a "big zero".

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress leadership has claimed that Banerjee’s gesture in honouring the ED notice and avoiding the crucial first meeting of the coordination committee of grand opposition INDIA front is a burning proof that he is not afraid to face any kind of investigation.

However, the opposition Congress and CPI(M) has claimed that Banerjee is showing his brave face only after the ED has given a verbal assurance to the Calcutta High Court about not adopting coercive action till the final judgement on his petition to expunge his name from the central agency probe in the school-job-case is delivered.