Kolkata
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) provided details of the commission received by West Bengal Minister Jyotipriya Mallick in the ration distribution case at a special court in Kolkata on Tuesday. Mallick, the current forest minister and former food and supplies minister, was arrested by the ED in October last year in connection with the case. According to information presented by the ED counsel, the commission primarily came from food grain mill owners in West Bengal holding licenses to supply products for the Public Distribution System (PDS). The agency estimated that each mill owner paid an unofficial commission for every quintal of food grain supplied for the PDS, a significant portion of which went into the private accounts of the arrested minister. The ED highlighted that detailed information on this commission chain was available in a diary. Sources revealed that Kolkata-based businessman Bakibur Rahaman, a close confidant of Mallick and the first person arrested by the ED in the ration distribution case, provided valuable information about this commission during interrogation. The agency has arrested three individuals in connection with the case so far—Bakibur Rahaman, Jyotipriya Mallick, and Trinamool Congress leader Shankar Adhya. Adhya, arrested on January 5, was allegedly involved in channelizing the proceeds by converting them into foreign currency and transferring them through the hawala route to foreign nations, primarily Dubai. The ED’s findings suggest that Mallick was the principal beneficiary, and Rahaman played a crucial role as his main intermediary in the commission collection chain. The case involves corruption and irregularities in the distribution of ration meant for the Public Distribution System in West Bengal.
