I-T raids TMC MLA's properties in WB; Bayron Biswas, kin grilled during search

Berhampore/Kolkata: The Income Tax (I-T) department on Wednesday raided several properties of Sagardighi MLA Bayron Biswas, who recently defected to the Trinamul Congress from the Congress, over 12 hours in West Bengal for alleged tax evasion and questioned him and his family members.

At around 5 am, more than 100 I-T officials, accompanied by the central forces, launched the raid at Mr Biswas' residence, bidi factory, bidi godown, a tea packaging factory, a tea delivery shop, a private hospital, a school and a chemical hub in Dhuliyan, Samserganj, Jangipur and Suti of Murshidabad and one place each in Birbhum and Malda.

They grilled TMC MLA, his father Babar Ali Biswas, and their family members and close aides and seized documents during the daylong search. They suspect that Mr Biswas has more properties than Rs 10,70,53,000, submitted in his I-T returns during the Sagardighi assembly bypoll that he won, diverted funds, and evaded tax also.

Babar however claimed that all the properties belong to their family businesses with Bayron as a key figure. He also alleged that their family businesses came under the central agencies' scanner after his son's defection. According to him, the I-T raid left people panicked and halted functions at their establishments.

Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate searched the office of arrested state forest minister Jyotipriyo Mullick, admitted at SSKM Hospital under jail custody, at Aranya Bhavan in the ration scam that took place during his tenure as the state food supplies minister.