The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is probing the role of several teachers and staff in a cash-for-jobs scam within West Bengal's government schools.
According to sources, at least eleven teachers and two non-teaching staff members are suspected of acting as middlemen, facilitating appointments for candidates who paid bribes.
These individuals are among 35 new intermediaries identified by the CBI during their investigation. The probe was initiated after questioning candidates suspected of securing jobs through unfair means. Investigators revealed a tiered system where bribes varied based on job location, with postings closer to a candidate's residence fetching the highest price, as reported by Edex Live.
The CBI estimates that around 2,500 teachers secured positions through bribes in 2016 alone. Both the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) have pinned the blame on former West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee, naming him the mastermind behind the scam. Their charge sheets detail how influential middlemen gained easy access to Chatterjee's residence.
Partha Chatterjee has been in custody since 2022 in connection with this case. This teacher involvement broadens the scandal's scope, suggesting a possible network that facilitated these illegal practices within the education system.