The anti-corruption branch of the West Bengal Police on Wednesday conducted raid at the West Midnapore office of Bhagabati Devi Nari Kalyan Samity, an NGO run by Usha Mishra, wife of Suryakanta Mishra, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly and CPM’s politburo member.

A police team searched the office of the NGO and a training college on the same campus in connection with the “misappropriation of National Aids Control Organisation funds” by the NGO during the tenure of Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. Suryakanta Mishra was the then state health minister.

An FIR was lodged against Usha, Sudip Mishra, nephew of the CPM leader, senior members of the NGO and also some health department officials on March 9. They have been booked for misappropriation of funds, cheating and criminal breach of trust.

According to sources, the project director of the state AIDS Prevention and Control Society lodged a complaint with the agency last year, alleging the funds from the NACO were misappropriated. For investigating the “irregularities”, a police team contacted Usha on January 21 and collected several documents from her, the sources said.

Usha, however, denied all allegations against her and said, “This is a conspiracy to malign Suryakanta Mishra before the civic elections. Our NGO had received funds of around Rs 29 lakh and we had used around Rs 28 lakh. Everything was duly audited and it is transparent. I was not informed when the police team today conducted raid and ransacked the office.”

Later, the CPM state office issued a statement terming the raid as “political vendetta” against the Opposition leader.

CPM MP Mohammed Selim alleged that the police raided the NGO office when there was no one there. He also questioned the timing of the raid, which comes at a time when the CBI has asked the TMC to submit their party accounts.

“It is a pity that the CBI is wanting to know where did the party get crores of rupees from?”

Selim also pointed out that the Trinamool Congress government have constanly been targetting CPM leaders. Citing the instance of CPM leader Gautam Deb, he said Deb was attacked by the government and the CID engaged to inquire into his alleged corruption. But so far nothing has been proved.

“Again, the Minority Development Finance Corporation under me was targeted and investigated. Word of mouth spread that the funs of the Minorities Development Finance Corporation had been invested in the share market. But such statments have been proven wrong,” Selim said.

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