CBI arrests North Bengal University VC in teachers' recruitment scam

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The CBI on Monday arrested North Bengal University vice chancellor Subires Bhattacharyya in connection with the assistant teachers' recruitment scam in West Bengal in 2016, officials said.

Bhattacharyya, former chairperson of the West Bengal Central School Service Commission, was called for questioning at the CBI office in Kolkata. Finding him non-cooperative, the CBI took him into custody, the officials said said.

Bhattacharyya had chaired the Commission from 2014-18. The CBI had taken up the probe on the directives of Calcutta High Court, they said.

It is alleged that then Commission advisor S P Sinha along with others had extended undue advantage to undeserving, non-listed and below ranked candidates in the appointment of assistant teachers for Classes 9 and 10 in the state level selection test held by the Commission in 2016. The agency had recently taken custody of Sinha, who was already in judicial custody in connection with a separate FIR.

The accused allegedly flouted the rules of the Commission and deprived deserving and genuine candidates from appointment as assistant teacher, the CBI alleged in the FIR registered on April 7 this year.