Elder brother of the former food minister and current forest minister Jyotipriya Mallick, appeared at the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office today at 10am. He brought various documents with him. When leaving the ED office, he claimed, “I came to deliver a letter.
That’s why I’m here. ED sought a letter of Jyotipriya from me, and since their office was closed yesterday, I came today.” However, he did not specify the content of the letter he delivered. He said, “Whose letter, what letter, that’s for Jyotipriya and the ED to clarify.” Jyotipriya Mallick’s daughter, Priyadarshini Mallick, also appeared at the ED office on Sunday. She, too, brought various documents and was questioned about several matters but she avoided the media yesterday.
Today, however, she said that she is ready to visit the ED office if the central agencies asked her to appear there. Investigators are keen to examine the bank accounts of the minister’s close relatives, financial transactions, as they find that in the case of Anubrata Mandal, he used the accounts of his closest persons for depositing funds.
The ED has already come to know that the minister has attempted to influence the investigation in all areas of the ration distribution irregularities, sources said. Even though multiple companies were involved in the scandal, Jyotipriya was not a director of any of them.
Therefore, investigators are focusing on his close associates. Allegations of nepotism are also pending. In 2012, Jyotipriya’s elder brother, Debapriya, became a member of the Public Service Commission (PSC) despite not being a government employee.
This raises questions about how Debapriya became a PSC member. In 2018, allegations of malpractice arose during the West Bengal Civil Services (WBCS) examination. The case was filed, but investigation was pending. Leader of Opposition in Assembly Suvendu Adhikari demanded the arrest of Debapriya in this connection.