Kolkata, May 23 (Representative) Amid the CBI probe into alleged irregularities in the appointments of teaching and non-teaching staff in the state-aided schools, West Bengal higher education department minister Bratya Basu on Monday called on Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar at Raj Bhavan office, official sources said. Basu, along with education department principal secretary Manish Jain, had about two hours meeting after the duo was summoned by the Governor. The duo, who were to visit the UK for a meeting on educational affairs in London on May 24 and 25, had to cancel in view of the current Calcutta High Court monitored investigation in the alleged appointment scam across the state. The CBI already grilled state former education minister Partha Chatterjee (now the commerce and industries minister) and incumbent junior education minister Paresh Chandra Adhikari The latter was quizzed for nearly 16 hours so far. Adhikari, whose daughter Ankita Adhikari was dismissed from the teaching service by Calcutta High Court, was quizzed for successive three days – Thursday-Friday and Saturday- as he is accused of the irregularity in getting her daughter’s job in the government school.
Justice Abhijit Gangopadhaya while ordering dismissal of Ankita’s job, also directed her to return salaries which she drew for 43 months in two installments. A twitter post from Raj Bhavan said ” During over two hour meeting with Guv Jagdeep Dhankhar, issues connected with education were traversed by Shri Bratya Basu, and Manish Jain, Principal Secretary, Dept of Education.” ” (The Guv emphasized adherence to transparency enforcement of accountability,” the twitter post said. Earlier in the day Dhankhar himself took to Twitter to announce this: “Shri Bratyabrata Basu Roy Chowdhury, WB Education Minister and Shri Manish Jain, IAS, Principal Secretary Department Education are scheduled to call on Governor Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar at Raj Bhawan at noon today.” Before this Basu also called the Governor on May 13.