Upendra Nath Biswas

Upendranath Biswas (or Upen Biswas or simply U. N. Biswas) is an Indian politician, caste historian and a retired civil servant.

Upendra Nath Biswas
Minister for Backward Class Welfare
In office
May 20, 2011 – 2016
GovernorM. K. Narayanan
Succeeded byRajib Banerjee
MLA
In office
May 13, 2011 – 2016
GovernorM. K. Narayanan
Preceded byDulal Bar (All India Trinamool Congress)
Succeeded byDulal Bar (INC)
ConstituencyBagda
Personal details
Born1942
Jessore, Bangladesh
Political partyAll India Trinamool Congress
ResidenceSector III, Bidhannagar (E), Kolkata
Alma materUniversity of Calcutta
ProfessionPolitician and Civil Servant

Early life

He was born to Nibaran Chandra Biswas at Jessore in Bangladesh. He belongs to Namasudra family and follows Ambedkarite ideology.[1] He completed his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Calcutta in 1986. He got converted into Buddhism and is one of the few lawmakers belonging to the religion, from West Bengal.[2][3]

As a civil servant

He joined the West Bengal Police as an IPS officer in 1968, serving as a DSP in charge of an EFR Company, a Subdivision, Addl. SP of District HQ, S.P of West Dinajpur, SSP in the West Bengal CID, and the Joint Director in CBI, his honest investigation report to the court was changed with a milder one written by his deputy Ranjit Sinha by the head of the CBI, Joginder Singh to please the political establishment, for which the CBI received strictures from the court.[4][5]

He retired as the additional director of India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which he served as an officer of the Indian Police Service (West Bengal cadre, 1968 batch). He first became a news-maker by relentlessly pursuing former Chief Ministers of Bihar, Jagannath Mishra and Lalu Prasad Yadav in the ₹950 crore (US$130 million) Fodder scam as the joint Director (East), CBI.[6]

His efficiency and honesty were always on the top. He was involved in detecting and resolving many scams when he held the Office of the Joint Director, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The most popular of these was perhaps the scam for Chara Ghotala in which he caught the corrupt politician Lalu Prasad Yadav and sent him to jail also. Even after threats to his life from different politicians, he did his duties perfectly up to the end.

As a politician

After retirement from his job, he joined the All India Trinamool Congress party and won from Bagda in Bongaon subdivision.[7][8] He was an MLA, elected from the Bagda constituency in the 2011 West Bengal state assembly election. He has served as the Minister for Backward Class Welfare in the Government of West Bengal from 2011 to 2016.

Controversy

He created a controversy by seeking the help of the Indian Army in rushing to arrest Lalu Prasad Yadav,[9][10] following which he was harassed by his department and the political establishment.[11]

References
  1. "'Bengal Hasn't Produced A Jagjivan Ram Or Even A Mayawati'". www.outlookindia.com/. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  2. Dutt, Probal Basak & Ishita Ayan (3 October 2013). "Newsmaker: Upendranath Biswas". Business Standard India.
  3. "Lalu a Good Actor, No One Can Match His 'Nautanki': CBI Officer Who Investigated Fodder Scam". News18. 23 December 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  4. "Cbi Blasted For Scuttling Fodder Scam Probe". Business Standard. 5 October 1996. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  5. "A CBI Director's shady past". Niti Central. 27 April 2013. Archived from the original on 1 June 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  6. "U.N. Biswas retires". The Hindu. 1 February 2002. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  7. "Mamata allots portfolios, keeps key ministries". IBN Live.
  8. "All the Didi's men". India Today.
  9. "Biswas asked CBI to seek army help: home minister". Rediff.com. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  10. "Biswas was in a hurry to arrest Laloo: Gupta". Rediff.com. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  11. "Staying On". Outlook (India). 8 September 1997. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
State Legislative Assembly
Preceded by
Dulal Chandra Bar (AITC)		 Member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly
from Bagdah (Vidhan Sabha constituency)
2011 – 2016		 Succeeded by
Dulal Chandra Bar (INC)


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