Bengal teachers' scam: TMC expels Shantanu Banerjee, Kuntal Ghosh post ED arrest

The Trinamool Congress on Tuesday expelled its two leaders Shantanu Banerjee and Kuntal Ghhosh days after they were arrested in connection with the West Bengal teachers' recruitment scam.

In a joint press conference, senior TMC leaders and state ministers Shashi Panja and Bratya Basu - made the announcement and asserted that the party has no connection with any scam.

''If someone misuses his party post to serve own interest, then it is for them to answer. The party has decided to expel Kuntal Ghosh and Shantanu Banerjee,'' Panja said.

Banerjee was arrested last week by the Enforcement Directorate, and Ghosh in February.

In July last year, senior TMC leader and minister Partha Chatterjee was arrested by the ED in a school recruitment scam. The TMC quickly showed him the door, first removing him from the state cabinet and then suspending him from the party.

What is Bengal education scam?

The Bengal teachers' recruitment scam refers is a scandal that involved the illegal appointment of primary school teachers in the Indian state of West Bengal in 2014.

The scam hogged limelight when the West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE) canceled the appointment of more than 10,000 teachers who were hired through a faulty and manipulated recruitment process.

It was alleged that the recruitment process was marred by massive irregularities, including the leak of question papers, tampering of answer sheets, and the manipulation of merit lists. It was also alleged that a large number of fake candidates were selected, and many deserving candidates were left out due to the corrupt practices of the recruitment board officials.

The scam caused widespread public outrage in West Bengal, and the opposition parties demanded a thorough investigation into the matter. The state government ordered a high-level inquiry, and a special investigation team (SIT) was set up to probe the scam. The SIT arrested several people, including WBBPE officials, for their involvement in the scam.