The tab scandal has caused a commotion in West Bengal. The West Bengal government has established a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by the Joint Commissioner of Kolkata Police to look into the tab scam. There are accusations that corrupt practices totaling around Rs 1000 crore have occurred, sparking political controversy and mutual accusations. Up until now, the tab scam has circulated in approximately 15 districts of the state. During the investigation, elements from different states were discovered.
The police is conducting a thorough investigation and ongoing arrests are being made. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has made a statement on the issue in this scenario. Similar incidents have occurred in Maharashtra and Rajasthan as well, but we were able to apprehend this gang, she stated. SIT has been established. Individuals who have not yet been paid for the tabs will soon receive their money as arrests have also been made.
One of the largest initiatives by the West Bengal government for students is “Tarun Ke Sapne”. In this plan, the state government provides funds to students in grades 11 and 12 to purchase tablets for their studies. The students in Classes 11 and 12 are provided with Rs 10,000 in their bank accounts to purchase tablets, and this time there are accusations of corruption regarding the funds for tablet purchases.
The funds meant for providing tablets to 15 female students from Salar School in Murshidabad have been transferred to a fraudulent account in Kishanganj, Bihar. Some schools in Murshidabad district have returned the allocated funds for the tenth and eleventh grades, with an additional Rs 4 crore 84 lakh being deposited in the accounts of 4881 students from 17 schools. However, the tuition fees of 15 female students from Salar School in Murshidabad have been transferred to a fraudulent account in Kishanganj, Bihar.
Likewise, the funding for tablets for students in schools has vanished in Jhargram district. Sunil Agarwal, the District Magistrate of Jhargram, reported that a total of Rs 5 lakh has been taken from the accounts of 11 high schools in the district, with each school having 50 affected accounts. Based on the report, the funds belonging to 8 students at Jhargram Ashok Vidyapeeth School have gone missing. The school’s interim principal, Prabhas Chandra Dehuri, mentioned that the accounts have been discovered. A bank account exists in the Jamtara region.
This event occurred in a total of 11 schools, which included Ashok Vidyapeeth, Netaji Adarsh Hindi High School, Rohini CRD High School, Harda High School, Bandhgora High School, Manikpara High School, Dhagari High School, and Binpur High School in Jhargram district.
In the same way, 165 students’ accounts in 27 schools out of the 450 schools in West Midnapore district were hacked, resulting in the loss of tab money. District School Inspector Swapan Samant mentioned that an investigation has been initiated and a First Information Report (FIR) has been filed.
An individual was taken into custody in Vaishnav Nagar, Malda, on suspicion of being linked to the tab scam. Hasan Sheikh was detained by the authorities at East Burdwan police station. The authorities from Vaishnav Nagar and East Burdwan district worked together in a joint operation to apprehend him. He was taken into custody at his residence. The owner of a cyber cafe is a young man. Police sources have found evidence linking this young man to the tab scam.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister and senior TMC leader Sovandev Chattopadhyay acknowledged the presence of a tab scam. He stated that there were claims of improprieties in the allocation of tablets provided by the government to teachers and students. He also stated that individuals engaged in corruption should face harsh punishment.
According to BJP Rajya Sabha MP Shramik Bhattacharya, whenever the government gets involved, a scandal gets exposed. The people in West Bengal are tired of this situation and they desire to be free from this ruling system. Every part of West Bengal has been affected by some form of scam.