Termite-damaged cash worth Rs 1 crore found in Kolkata college room
Kolkata: College authorities at Surendranath College in central Kolkata were taken by surprise after termite-damaged bundles of currency notes were discovered inside two suitcases kept in a college union room during a pre-monsoon cleanliness drive on June 2. The recovery has prompted a police investigation and sparked a political row, raising serious questions about transparency and oversight in West Bengal’s higher education system.
The cash, consisting largely of Rs 100 and Rs 500 notes, was found in a severely damaged state. While the exact amount is yet to be determined, reports and claims circulating after the recovery suggest the stash could exceed Rs 1 crore, raising questions about its source and how such a large sum came to be stored within the college premises.
The discovery was made during a cleanliness drive carried out at the college on the advice of civic authorities, urging institutions to prepare their campuses ahead of the monsoon. During the exercise, workers entered the union room and, after opening an old wooden cupboard, found two suitcases stored inside an almirah. The bundles of currency notes inside were reportedly neatly arranged before being damaged by termites over time.
Along with the cash, a revolver and empty alcohol bottles were also recovered from the union room during the cleaning drive. The wall of the room had posters and banners of the top leadership of the Trinamool Congress, further adding to controversy.
According to the college administration, the room had been used for anti-social activities and was under the exclusive control of leaders of the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP). The college authorities have not issued any official statement at the time of filing this report.
Sources further alleged that a racket had been operating in the college admission process, where meritorious and economically backward students were deprived while ineligible students were admitted in exchange for lakhs of rupees. The union room, according to these allegations, functioned as a private financial enterprise under the cover of student politics, with the recovered cash purportedly linked to an illegal admission racket.
Multiple complaints about corruption in admissions had earlier been raised by ordinary students and local opposition parties. In addition, a large section of professors and academic staff have reportedly admitted that they faced threats, bullying, and mental harassment if they did not comply with union directives.
The police have seized the termite-infested bundles of currency notes and are trying to trace their source. At this stage, authorities are working to determine the exact amount recovered, how long the suitcases had been stored, and who had access to the union room.
