The State Vigilance Bureau today grilled Jharkhand Olympic Association (JAO) Chairman and senior lawyer RK Anand for over three and a half hours in connection with corrupt practices and embezzlement of funds in the purchase of equipment and construction of infrastructure for the 34th National Games held here in 2011.
According to a vigilance official, Anand during the interrogation answered around 30-35 questions in relation to the purchase of sports equipment as well as his staying at some of the expensive hotels of the city during his visit to Ranchi.
"But Anand denied his hand in the scam and said that being the working Chairperson of National Games Organising Committee (NGOC), he was not part of the tender process adopted to purchase the sports equipment," said the official.
"Since the then Sports Director P C Mishra was removed on the complaints of Anand, there were rare chances of their conspiring together leading to a scam," said the official.
"We are now concerned about who paid the bills for the expenses of hotel bills, and taxi fares during his visit to Jharkhand, before the NGOC was even formed for the games," the official said.
The bureau is investigating the case on the complaint of Jharkhand Wrestling Association general secretary Bhola Nath Singh, lodged in 2010, accusing Anand and other NGOC office-bearers, including NGOC organising secretary SM Hashmi, treasurer Madhukant Pathak and P C Mishra for financial irregularities in the purchase of equipment for the games.
The complainant said that Anand and Hashmi had been given the status of Cabinet and State Ministers, respectively, by the State Government as of July 18, 2008. Hence, the two could be deemed to have been entrusted with public duty.
In his 18-page complaint, Singh's allegations ranged from flouting of financial rules to purchase of sports equipment much in excess of actual requirement, purchase of electronic score boards at varying rates from the same supplier to awarding purchase orders without tender and mobilising advance to parties while being aware that the 34th National Games would be delayed beyond December, 2009.
Calling the complaint filed by both Bhola Singh and RK Anand as two sides of the same coin, the Vigilance official said that the investigation is still going on and Anand or Madhukant Pathak may be summoned again for investigations.
On October 14, the bureau had arrested the NGOC organising secretary S M Hashmi and former sports director P C Mishra in connection with the case sending them to judicial custody.
Meanwhile, Anand, after interrogation, speaking to media persons, refused his involvement in the NGOC scam. Instead, Anand alleged that the probe was being done on the basis of the complaint lodged by him against the working of NGOC resulting in the removal of the then sports director P C Mishra.
"You can judge my stand by looking at my face…I will never tolerate corruption in the field of sports," said Anand. "All these investigations are being done on the initiatives taken by me," said Anand.
"I am ready to show any file related to it…the investigation is being done after the complaints were lodged by me following which PC Mishra was removed from his post," Anand added.
Anand, when asked about S M Hashmi, refused to comment on him. He however, accepted before the Vigilance officials that Hashmi never obeyed him.
"When asked about Hashmi, Anand said that he never took him seriously and did whatever he wanted," said an official requesting anonymity.