CBI raids houses of Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, TMC legislator Madan Mitra

The CBI on Sunday questioned and searched West Bengal minister and city Mayor Firhad Hakim's house for nearly 9 and half hours in the city in relation to the alleged irregularities in different municipalities across the state, official sources told UNI.

Besides the house of state urban development minister Firhad Hakim alias Bobby,at Chetla, the federal agency also searched and questioned former minister and TMC MLA Madan Mitra at Bhawanipur, also in south Kolkata, they said.

The sleuths of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) also raided the offices of 10 municipalities,including Dum Dum, Halisahar, Kachrapara, Krishnanagar, New Barrackpore, Taki and other places in the alleged cash for jobs in as many as 14 civic bodies. Many present and former chairpersons are under the scanner of the Calcutta high court monitored CBI probe.

Hakim, a close cabinet colleague of chief minister Mamata Banerjee, told reporters that there was a conspiracy to maligne the government, which according to him is people friendly.

"I would urge that the agency must produce evidence into the court of law as what it has found during the search operation". Hakim said, who is also the Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation.

Priyadarshini Hakim, daughter of the minister, alleged that there had been mental torture during the nine and haf hours searchung and questioning on them.

"I am 100 percent sure as a citizen that her father is not at all involved in any of the irregularities. This is a political vendettas," she alleged.

The Calcutta high court has directed the CBI to conduct a probe in the alleged jobs for cash in different municipalities.

The central probe agencies also recently searched at different municipalities, which are under the scanner of investigation.

During the search operations, the CRPF jawans had surrounded the house and prevented others from getting in while the CBI officials was searching the house.

Daughter Priyadarshini Hakim, who was prevented from entering the house by the central forces, was allowed to get in after the CBI officials recognised her. She along with three domestic helpers have been allowed to get in.

Hakim's supporters and followers also were seen protesting the search operation of Firhad Hakim house and shouted slogans against the central forces.

Another central probe agency, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had searched the house of state food minister Rathin Ghosh in North 24 Parganas and grilled him for nearly 19 hours on Thursday.

The ED officials raided the house of state Food and Supplies Minister Rathin Ghosh in connection with the alleged recruitment scam.

A total of 14 properties, including the houses of TMC leaders, were also searched.

The CBI also conducted raids at the house of Kamarhati MLA and former TMC minister Madan Mitra in connection with the same case.

(With UNI inputs)