News Mania desk/Agnibeena Ghosh/31st May 2024
Bengali actor Rituparna Sengupta has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to appear before the agency in Kolkata on June 5 in connection with her alleged involvement in a Rs 10,000-crore ration scam in West Bengal. According to ED sources, preliminary investigations have revealed that funds from the scam were funneled into the Bengali film industry. Sengupta has been asked to bring details of the accounts related to her films when she visits the Nizam Palace office.
The scam involves the misallocation of rice and wheat to fair price shop distributors by businessman Bakibur Rahman during the second term of Mamata Banerjee’s government (2016-2021). Rahman is accused of supplying less grain than mandated, selling the surplus on the open market for profit. The ED arrested Rahman on October 14 at his residence in Kaikhali, on Kolkata’s outskirts.
Further investigations have linked Rahman to Forest Minister Jyotipriya Mallick, who was arrested by the ED on October 27 after a 22-hour interrogation. Mallick, who served as the Food and Supplies Minister from 2016 to 2021, was the first Trinamool Congress leader arrested in connection with the scam. The outcry over the Public Distribution System (PDS) scam led to Mallick’s replacement by Rathin Ghosh in 2021.
The investigation has unveiled Rahman’s close association with Mallick. Rahman allegedly supplied rice and wheat in reduced quantities, selling the remaining stock in the open market. In addition, the ED has arrested former Trinamool Congress strongman Sheikh Sahjahan, recovering arms and ammunition from his residence. Sahjahan is currently in judicial custody.
In a related development, Sengupta had previously been interrogated by the ED in 2019 regarding the Rose Valley ponzi scam. Sources allege that she had accompanied Rose Valley Group chairman Gautam Kundu on several foreign trips and assisted him in the sale and production of films.
The unfolding of this scandal highlights the intersection of politics, business, and entertainment in West Bengal. The involvement of prominent figures like Sengupta underscores the complexities of financial crimes that traverse various sectors. The ED’s ongoing investigation aims to untangle these connections and bring accountability to those involved.
Given the high-profile nature of the case and the substantial amount of money involved, this investigation is expected to continue making headlines. It also brings to light the vulnerabilities in the PDS and the potential for exploitation by influential individuals. The outcome of this case could have significant implications for political and economic transparency in the region.
