The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been accused of attempting to tarnish the image of Trinamul Congress (TMC) leader and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee with politically motivated allegations.

The claim comes after the central agency mentioned the name ‘Abhishek Banerjee’ in a charge sheet related to the West Bengal primary school teacher recruitment scam. The charge sheet, which spans 28 pages, primarily focuses on Sujay Krishna Bhadra, commonly referred to as ‘Kalighat-er Kaku’, who is one of the key accused in the case. The CBI claims to have retrieved an audio clip in which the names of former state education minister Partha Chatterjee and TMC MLA Manik Bhattacharya are clearly mentioned. Alongside, the name ‘Abhishek Banerjee’ was also reportedly heard in the recording.

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According to the CBI, the forensic verification of the audio clip is underway at the Central Forensic Sciences Laboratory (CFSL). Additionally, the voice samples of Sujay Krishna Bhadra and two other accused, Kuntal Ghosh and Shantanu Banerjee, have been sent to Delhi for examination. The agency has also claimed that some witnesses have verified the authenticity of the clip.

Interestingly, while the charge sheet identifies Partha Chatterjee as a former education minister and Sujay Krishna Bhadra as the chief operating officer of ‘Leaps and Bounds,’ it does not specify who the ‘Abhishek Banerjee’ mentioned in the audio clip is. There is no mention of his political affiliations, business connections, or any links to government offices.

This ambiguity has led to strong reactions from Abhishek Banerjee’s legal team. His lawyer, Sanjay Basu, issued a statement, accusing the CBI of deliberately trying to create confusion and malign Banerjee’s reputation. “The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has not filed any charge sheet against my client. No evidence of wrongdoing has been found against him. Yet, the CBI, in its third supplementary charge sheet, has made baseless allegations solely to harass him,” the statement read. The Trinamul Congress has lashed out at the central agency, accusing it of acting at the behest of the ruling party at the Centre. Banerjee’s legal team has alleged that after the ED failed to establish any charges against him, the CBI was now being used to target him. The charge sheet claims that in the retrieved audio clip, Sujay Krishna Bhadra can be heard saying that Abhishek Banerjee had allegedly instructed him to withhold the recruitment of certain candidates. If not, the candidates would either be arrested or posted far from their hometowns. Rejecting these claims, Banerjee’s legal team asserted that the CBI has failed to provide any substantial evidence or supporting documents. They called it a “desperate attempt” to create suspicion around Banerjee.

Reacting to the development, Banerjee has vowed to continue his fight for justice and truth. “He is not afraid of baseless allegations. He will expose the conspiracy and continue his relentless struggle for justice,” the statement concluded.

This latest controversy adds to the ongoing political battle between the TMC and the BJP-led central government, with allegations of misuse of investigative agencies taking centre stage once again.