The Chief Minister’s Special Vigilance Cell on Thursday made another arrest in connection with the Rs 105 crore State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) scam in Assam in which Sewali Devi Sharma is the prime suspect.
According to information received, the CM Vigilance Cell arrested Sonmoni Nath after interrogating him about his role in the scam. It has come to the fore that Sonmoni Nath is an employee of the District Institution of Information and Training (DIET) Howly in Assam’s Barpeta.
Sonmoni Nath had reportedly blackmailed Sewali Devi Sharma and extorted Rs 2 lakhs from her. Meanwhile, Manoj Das is also being interrogated for his role in the scam.
It may be noted that during her interrogation regarding the scam, Sewali Devi Sharma had revealed that she had been blackmailed by several journalists and (Right To Information Act) RTI workers.
It may be noted that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Bidyut Kalita was suspended from the party on Thursday for his alleged involvement in the Rs. 105 crore SCERT scam.
In a significant disclosure to the SCERT scam, Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday revealed the involvement of up to 12 people including RTI activists and journalists, who are now on the radar of the Chief Ministers’ Special Vigilance Cell.
The chief minister also said there was a direct transfer of funds from the state treasury to the personal bank accounts of the journalists.
Speaking to the media, CM Sarma said, “There are around 12 people who have been found to be involved in the alleged SCERT scam. All of them are RTI activists and journalists by profession. During the course of investigation, it has also come to light that there had been a direct transfer of funds from the government’s treasury to journalists’ personal bank accounts. Probably, one of them has a political background as being reported in the media.”
