The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has intensified its probe into a major admission scam in West Bengal, focusing on politically connected individuals who allegedly facilitated irregularities in private medical college admissions under the Non-Resident Indian (NRI) quota.
As per IANS, the investigation has revealed key evidence pointing to fabricated documents, fictitious transactions, and direct communication between the alleged masterminds and influential political figures.
A total of eight private medical colleges in the state are now under scrutiny. IANS reports that investigators have traced the involvement of families with political connections who allegedly secured NRI quota seats despite not meeting the eligibility criteria.
These admissions were reportedly facilitated through large cash payments, raising concerns over the integrity of the admission process.
The investigation began in December last year, following a complaint filed at a police station in northern Kolkata. Since then, the ED has conducted multiple raid and search operations, including a recent one on Thursday, February 20. In December, similar operations were carried out at various locations, including premises linked to two influential figures.
One of the key figures under the scanner is Lakshman Seth, a former Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] Member of Parliament (MP) from Tamluk, whose NGO operates private medical and dental colleges in Haldia.
Another individual under investigation is businessman Malay Pith, who owns a private medical college in Birbhum and was previously named in a multi-crore cattle smuggling case.
The scam was first brought to public attention by Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, in September last year. He alleged that admissions were being secured through fake certificates and illegal cash transactions, implicating senior officials within the state health department. The ED is now tracing the financial trail to establish the full extent of the malpractice.
