Kolkata, Oct 30 (IANS) Amid the ongoing controversy over the multi- crore ration distribution case in West Bengal, fresh political speculation has erupted over the presence of former education minister and Trinamool Congress secretary general Partha Chatterjee at the premier of a Bengali movie released in 2014 which was produced by Bakibur Rahman, the Kolkata-based businessman who has been arrested by the ED.

The matter of Chatterjee’s presence at the premier has been revealed by a section of the co-actors and technicians associated with the movie.

Chatterjee’s close associate and a prime accused in the multi- crore cash-for-school job case in West Bengal, Arpita Mukherjee, was in one of the lead roles in the movie, The poster of the film 'Mangrove' also features Bollywood actress Rakhi Sawant.

Both Chatterjee and Mukherjee are currently in judicial custody because of their alleged involvement in the school job case. In July last year, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had recovered cash amounting to over Rs 50 crore along with a large consignment of gold bars and gold biscuits from two residences of Arpita.

Now questions are being raised on whether the presence of the former education minister at the premier of Rahman- produced movie was because of his close association with Arpita Mukherjee or was it prompted by his direct links with the film producer.

Central agency sleuths believe that if the presence was just prompted by the Arpita-association then there is not much to go deeper in the matter. However, if that presence was prompted by the former minister’s direct association with Rahman, then the matter becomes a bit serious.

Meanwhile, ED sleuths have come to know that a majority of the payments made for meeting the expenses for the production of the movie, including the payments of honorariums to the actors and technicians, were made in cash. This has made the central agency's case stronger that the proceeds of the ration distribution case were invested in the movie.