Trinamool Congress leader, Shankar Adhya, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday late night for his alleged involvement in West Bengal’s ration scam, was the chairman of the Bongaon municipality in the state’s North 24 Parganas district for more than five years from 2015 to 2021. Before him, his wife, Jyotsna Addo was the chairperson for the preceding five years from a TMC ticket. Right now, she is councillor from Bongaon.
West Bengal’s ration scam relates to alleged anomalies in the Public Distribution System and accusation of siphoning of public money and rations.
The former Food and Public Distribution Minister of West Bengal, Jyotirpriya Mullick has already been arrested by the ED last year. The recent raid at Adhya’s house happened after multiple rounds of questioning of Mallick by the ED after which it emerged that Adhya was a close confidant of Mallick.
As per documents accessed by The Sunday Guardian, Adhya owns at least 25 properties across West Bengal in his name or in the name of immediate blood relatives like son, brother or wife.
In 2019 alone, Shankar Adhya along with his brother, wife and children acquired 11 properties, including some residential and some commercial properties in Bongaon and Gaighata areas of North 24 Parganas district.
On 12 December 2018, Shankar Adhya and his wife acquired one property (residential) each in Bongaon worth Rs 1.2 crores in total.
In 2017, he was “gifted” an immovable property in Panchita, Bongaon on a gift deed to his relative for which Rs 1.20 lakh was paid as stamp duty.
In 2016, Malay Adhya, brother of Shankar Adhya bought a residential property in Bongaon for just Rs 3 lakh, whose then market value according to government records was more than Rs 26 lakh.
In the same year, Shankar Adhya gifted a house worth more than Rs 1.3 crore to his wife Jyotsna Adhya (also present TMC councillor) in Kolkata’s Tiljala.
In 2015, the wife of Shankar Adhya and two other relatives acquired a property worth Rs 4.29 crore to set up a business in Bongaon. This property is also under the investigation of the ED as it is from here where a rice mill was being operated that is believed to be in connection with the ration scam.
In the same year, he and his brother bought land in Ward number 4 Bongaon, for Rs 5 lakh whose government approved rate in 2015 was Rs 16 lakh.
In 2014, he purchased two properties, both of which were registered on the same day, 28 October—one in the name of his son, the other in the name of his wife.
In 2013, on 27 September, he bought three flats worth Rs 36.66 lakh each in Metropolitan cooperative housing society, Kolkata. In the same year, he bought two plots in Bongaon, worth Rs 13 lakh and Rs 3 lakh.
Shankar Adhya, along with his relatives, is also operating a foreign exchange company in the name of- Shankar Forex Private Limited in the Petrapole area of the India-Bangladesh border. The directors of the said company are Suvo Adhya, who is his son and Amit Ghosh, who is his business partner and stays in Bongaon.
Another company that is being investigated is “Anjanli Ice Cream”, an ice cream factory that is being operated by his brother in Gaighata, North 24 Parganas. Its premises were raided by the ED on Friday. An alleged murder was also carried out in the premises of this factory in which Shankar’s brother is an accused.
As per allegations by the locals, Adhya is running at least two hotels in West Bengal’s popular tourist destination, Digha. He is also allegedly running a school in Bongaon in his father’s name. The land value on which the school is running is worth Rs 10 crore. The name of the school is, “Haradhan Adhya Memorial School”.
Documents accessed by this newspaper also show that Adhya has allegedly set up a business in Dubai in the name of SBRM General Trading during his tenure. The directors of this company in Dubai include Adhya himself, his son Suvo Adhya along with three other persons.
The BJP leaders of Bongaon allege that Adhya is an “international criminal” who operates multiple illegal businesses in the town and in Kolkata.
BJP’s Bongaon organisational district president, Debdas Mondal, speaking to The Sunday Guardian said that he and the BJP have been highlighting Adhya’s illegal activities since 2019.
“I have been constantly highlighting how corrupt and criminal this man is. He has illegally acquired properties worth more than Rs 120 crore. He is involved in the smuggling of gold along the India-Bangladesh border, he is also involved in the cow smuggling business. He runs multiple hawala businesses through Hundis in Kolkata. He has properties in Dubai, he has a business in Dubai. He recently inaugurated a school worth Rs 10 crore. How can a man, who was selling tea just five years back before he became the chairman of Bongaon Municipality, have so much money?” Debdas Mondal said.
The BJP leader further alleged that Adhya was carrying out all these illegal activities with the blessings of Jyotipriya Mallick. “Mallick was getting an equal cut from all the illegal activities of Shankar Adhya. I have also heard that the ED has got documentary proof that indicates the illegal dealings between Adhya and Mallick,” Mondal alleged.
According to documents, Adhya is also facing an investigation that is being done by the Department of Intelligence Revenue (DRI) for his alleged involvement in the printing of fake Indian currency. The case number is 243/ of 07-09-2006 registered under Section 104 of Customs Act. Adhya is also facing trial for the murder of a Youth Congress leader Himanshu Bairaghi and has already been in jail for another murder in Odisha’s Puri.
The FIR was filed at Bongaon police station on 9 March 2014 vide 179/2014.
It is pertinent to mention that the Trinamool Congress has been describing all these allegations as untrue and a vendetta by the centre ruling BJP government.