Arrested TMC leader Shankar Adhya has a controversial track record

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.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

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.