CBI files FIR against Bengal minister, daughter

Kolkata: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed an FIR against West Bengal minister of state for education, Paresh Chandra Adhikari and his daughter, Ankita Adhikari charging the two under Indian Penal Code sections pertaining to criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence.

Meanwhile, after playing hide and seek with the CBI for around 48 hours, Paresh Chandra Adhikari finally reached the Kolkata airport on Thursday evening, from where he was taken directly to the CBI's Nizam Palace office in central Kolkata for questioning by the CBI sleuths.

Calcutta High Court's single judge bench of Justice Avijit Gangopadhyay, on Tuesday observed that Ankita Adhikari was illegally appointed as a teacher of political science in a state-run school even without qualifying in the merit list and appearing for a personality test.

While ordering a CBI enquiry in the recruitment of political science teachers for Classes XI and XII in state-run schools, the single-judge bench ordered Paresh Chandra Adhikari to be present at the CBI office in Kolkata on Tuesday by 8 p.m.

Adhikari was in Cooch Behar district when the order came. On Tuesday night he was seen boarding a Kolkata- bound express train from Cooch Behar along with his daughter, apparently bound for Kolkata to appear for CBI questioning. However, later it was learnt that on Wednesday morning, the father and the daughter got off from the train at Burdwan railway junction which was confirmed by the footage of the CCTVs installed at the station. Since then both the minister and his daughter had gone missing.

Justice Gangopadhyay took offence at this conduct of the minister and asked the CBI to file the FIR for contempt of court. Finally, on Thursday evening the minister appeared at the CBI office. However, his daughter was missing.