Kolkata: Bengal’s anti-corruption commission carried searches across 20 properties in Topsia over the past few days as part of its probe into alleged illegal construction and land grab, some of which have been linked to Kasba MLA and former state minister Javed Khan and his family members.
“In my 35 years in politics, this is the first time I have faced such an accusation. Commission sources said the panel had initially identified 14 sites in the old ward 66 area and locals had informed it of six others.
I don’t construct buildings nor am I involved in property development,” he said. But no one is calling me,” he said. A commission official said the probe is not aimed at one person but to investigate how public and waqf land as well as wetlands were allegedly used for private construction.
Following the searches, Khan, a former state minister, has denied any wrongdoing. “The places they (commission officials) visited don’t belong to me…The allegations against me are completely false. I have not purchased any new property. I do have ancestral property, let that be investigated. But I should also be given a chance to speak, to explain myself. The sites have been marked and videographed. More notices may be issued.