A state BJP leader on Saturday lodged a police complaint accusing Abhishek Banerjee and some government officials of siphoning off over ₹200 crore in public relief funds for victims of Amphan, the supercyclone that ravaged the state in 2020.
Abhijit Das Bobby, who lodged the 17-page complaint with Bishnupur police in Diamond Harbour, alleged irregularities in relief disbursement, including the use of duplicate and suspicious entries, beneficiaries with the same contact number and banking details, and multiple beneficiaries from the same residential building.
Uprooted trees, vehicles damaged in Cyclone Amphan in Barasat area.
“In today’s complaint, I have particularly mentioned two blocks in Bishnupur under the Diamond Harbour parliamentary constituency where a sum of ₹57.86 crore was disbursed among around 57,000 beneficiaries,” Bobby said.
Bobby, who had twice contested unsuccessfully against Abhishek from the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency, said: “We suspect that most of the money was looted by the TMC leadership, headed by local MP Abhishek Banerjee. Government officials, including the block development officers and the then additional district magistrate (development), were also hand in glove.”
Amphan had hit several Bengal districts on May 20, 2020, killing 96 people and causing extensive destruction in the coastal districts of East Midnapore and North and South 24-Parganas.
The allegations have surfaced at a time when the new BJP government has promised action against the alleged institutional corruption during Mamata Banerjee’s 15-year rule.
“We have collected data from the entire Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency, where there is the possibility of a scam involving ₹238 crore of Amphan relief funds,” Bobby said. “I have demanded a thorough investigation by a special investigation team.”
Bobby said similar complaints would soon be lodged at other police stations in Diamond Harbour. He demanded a forensic audit of the entire expenditure and called for an Enforcement Directorate probe.
“The official data sheets downloaded from the public relief portal display the repeated appearance of his (Abhishek’s) name and office in the column marked ‘Recommended by’ across thousands of approved entries,” Bobby’s police complaint says.
“The repeated appearance of Abhishek’s name in the recommendation column raises serious questions regarding the nature, source and extent of his involvement. Investigating agencies must determine whether processing credentials from his office influenced or bypassed standard administrative and physical screening protocols.”
The Mamata government had announced a ₹6,250-crore cyclone relief package and promised direct bank transfers to the victims. It had set up an Amphan Cyclone Relief Fund and sought public donations.
The Narendra Modi government too had sanctioned ₹3,077 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund towards Amphan relief and rehabilitation.
The state government provided assistance under two categories. People whose homes had been completely damaged were entitled to ₹20,000 each; while those with partially damaged dwellings received ₹5,000 each.
However, some of the funds meant for rebuilding damaged homes were allegedly diverted to local panchayat functionaries or their close relatives.
As protests erupted in many parts of the state, the Mamata government in 2020 felt compelled to suspend several Trinamool-linked panchayat functionaries. It also promised corrective measures.
The BJP leadership claims that no effective action was taken, and the funds allegedly transferred to the accounts of political leaders and their associates were not recovered.
In his complaint, Bobby has alleged that the corruption was carried out through a systematic and institutionalised mechanism.
He has attached documents purportedly showing that a single contact number was used for 14 beneficiaries, who received ₹20,000 each after claiming their dwelling units had been completely damaged.
Bobby has also referred to four mobile numbers against each of which six to nine beneficiaries allegedly received financial assistance.
“The same mobile number was used for beneficiaries from multiple villages to divert funds. All these discrepancies reveal serious misappropriation of government funds,” Bobby said.
A Trinamool source said the allegations were “baseless”.
“This is nothing but the BJP’s political vendetta against our leader. We will fight it legally,” the source said.