The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday, 21 July issued an interrogation notice to rebel All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislator Madan Mitra in connection with the multi-crore municipalities' job irregularities case in West Bengal, allegedly linked to the previous Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool regime. The notice adds Mitra to a growing list of politicians and officials facing federal scrutiny in what has emerged as one of the state's most sprawling recruitment fraud investigations.

Family Already Under ED Scanner

Earlier this month, the ED had served interrogation notices to Mitra's wife and two sons, directing them to appear at the agency's Salt Lake office on the northern outskirts of Kolkata this week. Tuesday's notice to Mitra himself signals that the agency's probe is closing in on the legislator directly, not merely through his family.

Raids, Defection, and a Shifting Political Landscape

In June 2025, ED officials conducted simultaneous raids and searches at two residences belonging to Mitra — one in Bhabanipur in South Kolkata and another in Kamarhati on the city's northern outskirts — along with seven other locations across the state capital. Mitra is a three-time legislator from Kamarhati, having served from 2011 to 2016 and again from 2021 to the present.

Notably, Mitra recently broke ranks with Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee to align with what is being described as the 'rebel but majority' faction within Trinamool, led by expelled legislator Ritabrata Banerjee. The ED notice arrives at a particularly turbulent moment in Mitra's political career.

CBI Chargesheet and Parallel Probes

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had conducted a separate raid at Mitra's residence in October 2025 in the same municipalities recruitment irregularities case. Last week, the CBI filed a chargesheet before a special court in Kolkata under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against former West Bengal minister Sujit Bose and his son Samudra Bose. The chargesheet also named Jyotishman Chattopadhyay, an IAS officer, along with two corporate entities linked to the minister and his son.

How the Investigation Unravelled

According to investigators, the ED first uncovered evidence of municipality job irregularities during raids at the residence of Ayan Shil, a middleman allegedly involved in both the municipalities job case and the separate multi-crore cash-for-school job scam during the previous Trinamool regime. The Calcutta High Court subsequently ordered the CBI to investigate, leading to Shil's arrest. Joint CBI-ED probe teams traced unauthorised property reportedly worth over ₹100 crore owned by Shil, providing the financial thread that investigators say links multiple accused.

With chargesheets filed and fresh notices issued, the municipalities job case is entering a critical phase that could reshape West Bengal's political accountability landscape in the months ahead.