Kolkata:
The West Bengal Anti-Corruption Branch has initiated a case on a complaint of the State Health Department against four persons including Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Surjya Kanta Mishra’s wife Usha Mishra for forgery, cheating and misappropriation of funds.
“A case has been started at ACB police station on March 9 on the complaint of the state health department under section 420, 409, 468, 120B IPC and Section 13(1)(d) read with 13(2) of PC Act against four accused,” said a release issued by the state ACB here.
The case has been started against Usha Mishra, Sudip Mishra, Bina Das and Kartik Acharya of the Baromohanpur Bhagabati Devi Nari Kalyan Samity (BBDNKS) and others for forgery, cheating and misappropriation of funds received from West Bengal State AIDS Prevention and Control Society during the period of 2007-2011, it said.
“The investigation has been started to find out the total amount misappropriated and the involvement of others,” the release said.
Incidentally, a team of of the state ACB yesterday raided the BBDNKS, an NGO run by Mishra in Belda at Midnapore district.
During the raid, Mishra’s wife was not present at the office from where the ACB team seized documents after a long search in connection with the misappropriation of funds.
The team spoke to Siddhartha Mishra, brother of the Leader of Opposition during the raid, which continued for more than eight hours and sealed the NGO office, ACB sources said adding, the raid also continued today.
Sources at the state ACB said the State Aids Prevention and Control Society in its complaint had referred to irregularities in handling NACO funds provided to the NGO.
Rubbishing the allegations, Usha dubbed the raids as “politically motivated” and claimed the move against her was the result of her being Mishra’s wife.
She also accused that the city police had tried to slap similar non-bailable charges against their daughter Roshanara, who is an academic at a city college.
“These are false charges. The raids have been timed to coincide with the CPI(M) state conference. It is an effort to corner Surjya Kanta Mishra. Why has the issue being raked up after so long?” she asked.
CPI(M) central committee member and party MP Mohammed Salim today described the move against Usha as “political vendetta”.
