The Vice-chairman of Purulia Zilla Parishad, Sujoy Banerjee, along with two others, was apprehended for allegedly altering Annapurna Yojana (social welfare scheme) records in West Bengal, as confirmed by the police on Sunday. The arrests were made following accusations from the local BJP leadership, asserting that not only the Annapurna Yojana but also documents related to other state government schemes had been tampered with. The incident occurred in the Puncha block area of Purulia district on July 7, where the accused were accused of entering the block office at night, unlocking it, and manipulating documents on a laptop.
The local BJP leadership claimed that the Vice-chairman of Purulia Zilla Parishad and Trinamool leader, Sujoy Banerjee, instructed two others to tamper with the documents, an allegation that led to their arrest by the Purulia district police on Saturday night. Subsequently, the accused individuals, including the vice-president of Puncha Panchayat Samiti and its executive director, were caught red-handed by the BJP leadership upon entering the block office. A police complaint was lodged the next day, resulting in the arrest of four individuals.
Following their initial arrest and subsequent release on bail, a fresh complaint by the BJP led to the re-arrest of Sujoy Banerjee and another individual from their residences in Lakhra village, while the executive director was apprehended in Parui village. Notably, Sujoy was the Trinamool candidate from the Purulia constituency in the 2026 Assembly election. The BJP District Vice-President highlighted suspicions that the accused were attempting to eliminate eligible beneficiaries from the Annapurna Yojana list through their illicit activities conducted under the cover of darkness.
In response to the allegations and arrests, Trinamool leader Nibedita Mahato expressed unawareness of the situation, stating intentions to investigate further. A district police official mentioned that the arrested individuals would be presented in court on Sunday.
