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Kolkata: At least six ministers of the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government find themselves battling allegations of misconduct following a sting operation that purportedly shows them negotiating bribes.

The “sting” was conducted in November 2019 by a ‘news channel’, Samachar Plus. The 11-part sting was played at the BJP’s West Bengal headquarters Wednesday, in the presence of top leaders such as national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, state chief Dilip Ghosh and senior leader Mukul Roy.

It was also repeatedly aired this week by a local TV channel that the police said doesn’t have a licence to operate.

The sting is already a subject of police investigation, with certain people involved in the set-up filing complaints of cheating against Samachar Plus and its journalists.

While the BJP has sought an investigation into the sting, two ministers allegedly featuring in the video told ThePrint that the allegations are false, and that they are considering defamation proceedings. The other ministers shown in the videos couldn’t be reached for comment.

The sting operation comes four years after another conducted by Narada News, which purportedly showed Trinamool Congress leaders, MPs and cabinet ministers accepting bribes. The case is currently being investigated by the CBI.

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Ministers deny involvement

Samachar Plus is known for sting operations, including one that played a role in triggering the 2016 presidential rule standoff in Uttarakhand during the Congress’ tenure.

It is owned by one Umesh Kumar Sharma, who has served jail time for alleged extortion.

The latest video released by the channel purportedly shows two brokers in negotiations with a reporter, disguised as a businessman. The brokers then purportedly get the reporter in touch, through phone calls or meetings, with six ministers of the state government — Tapas Roy (minister of state for parliamentary affairs), Moloy Ghatak (law and labour), Chandranath Sinha (fisheries), Swapan Debnath (minister of state for animal resource development), Arup Roy (cooperation) and Ujjawal Biswas (correctional home).

While two are purportedly seen taking cash from the reporter, the rest either refuse or ask the journalist to talk to “our men”.

Roy said the voice in the telephone conversation attributed to him was somebody else’s. “The voice is not mine,” he told ThePrint. “I have recorded a voice sample with the Kolkata Police and lodged a case against them (those who conducted the sting). I will take every legal action possible for defaming me.”

Ghatak also said party leaders are planning defamation cases. “We will file defamation cases against them. We are discussing this in the party. We have been in politics for the last four decades and now they’re trying to malign our image like this,” he added. “I didn’t take money from them.”

ThePrint tried to contact the other ministers through calls, but they remained unreachable.

Four separate FIRs lodged

The sting video is being investigated through four FIRs registered at as many police stations in Kolkata — Hare Street, Jorasanko, Muchipara and Bhowanipore.

The cases were registered in January on complaints filed by the alleged brokers, who claimed they had been cheated. The channel subsequently moved the Calcutta High Court for anticipatory bail, where the case remains pending.

Under the FIRs, the reporter, identified as Bhupendra Pratap Singh, has been booked under sections pertaining to cheating, fraud, impersonation, criminal conspiracy and faking Aadhaar documents. One person was arrested during the investigation for alleged involvement in the sting, and the police also issued notice to the local cable channel that telecast the video.

Even though Umesh Kumar’s name is not there in the FIR, a senior police officer claimed that his involvement is being probed.

The police officer described the journalists involved in the sting as “extortionists”, saying they had set up meetings with ministers and other Trinamool Congress leaders on the pretext of a fake project to equip schools with robots.

“The state does not have a policy of using robots in schools. So, how can a businessman approach ministers for the recommendation of a project for which the government has no provision. Moreover, they faked their names… and made fake Aadhaar cards,” the officer added. “We are also looking into the source of money.”

BJP leader Vijayvargiya said CM Mamata Banerjee, who has spoken vehemently in support of honesty, should at least start an inquiry against the people “seen taking bribes”. “Instead, she unleashed her police against them and slapped several cases. We will appeal to the high court and the Supreme Court, if needed, seeking a CBI investigation.”

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