Bengal BJP Vice President sent to three days police custody

Kolkata, Jan 15 (IANS) A court here on Sunday sent to three days police custody BJP's West Bengal unit Vice President Jayprakash Majumdar, arrested for allegedly taking money from School Service Commission candidates on the pretext of getting them jobs.

The judge at Bidhannagar court also rejected a bail plea moved by the defence counsel.

Majumdar was arrested on Saturday after seven hours of intense grilling at the Bidhannagar North police station following a complaint by Arup Ratan Roy that he has taken Rs 7.20 lakh in two tranches promising to get jobs for SSC candidates by moving the Supreme Court.

However, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader lashed out at Roy in the court premises, saying he was not a candidate at the TET examination.

"Complainant himself is not an examinee of TET. This complaint is based on lies. The entire thing is a conspiracy," Majumdar told reporters

The prosecution, however, pleaded that Majumdar has admitted during interrogation that he did take the money.

The government counsel pleaded for a seven day police remand, arguing his custody was needed to find out where Majumdar has deposited the money as it was a serious offence.

Regarding Majumdar's allegation about the complainant, the government pleader argued that the complainant had even knocked on the doors of the state BJP president Dilip Ghosh with the allegations and was forced to move the court as a last resort. As such there was no intention on the part of the complainant to implicate the accused person in the case, the pleader said.

Moving bail, the defence lawyer contended though the tenor of the FIR was that no case had been filed in the Supreme Court, a case was moved on the matter in the apex judiciary. The defence also termed the arrest as "arbitrary" without following the due process of law.

After hearing both sides, the court dismissed the bail prayer and sent Majumdar to three-day police custody.

Majumdar has been booked under section 420 (cheating), section 406 (criminal breach of trust) and section 506 (threat to cause death or grievous hurt) of the Indian Penal Code.

According to the complainant, Majumdar met them during a hunger strike by the SSC candidates under the platform of the Chhatra Aikya Sangram Mancha for jobs and allegedly promised to get them jobs by filing a case in the Supreme Court in return for money.

"Jayprakash Majumdar met us during a hunger strike we had organised near the School Service Commission office demanding jobs. He said give me around Rs 8-10 lakh and I will help you to get the job by filing a case in the Supreme Court. Later, we handed over Rs 7.20 lakh to him in two tranches.

"But when we met him after three months, he completely denied taking any money from us. When we asked him to return our money, he threatened us by brandishing a revolver and forced us to leave his office," he added.

Roy conceded that his name was not on the merit list, but two of his relatives made the cut.

Majumdar, a one-time senior leader of the Congress, quit the party and joined the BJP in September 2014.