In a major action against corruption in Uttarakhand, the Pushkar Singh Dhami Government suspended two officers of Indian Administrative Service (IAS), one officer of the Provincial Civil Service (PCS) and four other officers in the multi crore Municipal Corporation of Haridwar (MCH) land scam on Tuesday. A total of 12 officers have so far been suspended in the scam.
The suspended officers include district magistrate (DM) of Haridwar Karmendra Singh, the then municipal commissioner of Haridwar Varun Chaudhary and former Sub Divisional Magistrate ( SDM) of Haridwar, Ajayvir Singh. The alleged scam involves purchase of a plot of land at an exorbitant price of `54 crore by MCH which is said to be three to four times more than the actual price. Dhami has also ordered a comprehensive Vigilance inquiry in the case.
Following complaint of large scale irregularity in purchase of 2.3070 hectares of land near a waste dumping site in Haridwar, the CM had set up a committee headed by IAS officer Ranvir Singh Chauhan. In his report submitted to the State administration on May 29, Chauhan reportedly had found three senior officers-DM Karmendra Singh, former municipal commissioner Chaudhary and SDM Ajayvir Singh-guilty in the case. Based on the findings of this report, Dhami directed the Personnel department to take stern action against all the officers involved in the scam following which suspension orders were issued.
It is alleged that the irregularities occurred in the purchase of land by the MCH and its land use was converted from agricultural to commercial days before its purchase by the MCH.
It is alleged that the then additional district magistrate (ADM) Ajayvir Singh changed the land use of the land in question in October 2024 and after some days this land was purchased by the MCH at exorbitant price of Rs 54 crore causing loss to State exchequer.s
The scam came to fore when the Haridwar mayor Kiran Jaisal submitted a complaint in this regard to the CM.
On Tuesday orders for suspension of MCH senior finance officer Nikita Bisht, senior personal assistant Vicky, Haridwar Tehsil registrar Rajesh Kumar and Tehsil chief administrative officer Kamaldas were also issued by the State Government.
It is worth mentioning here that action against former assistant municipal commissioner Ravindra Kumar Dayal, executive engineer (in-charge) Anand Singh Mishrwan, senior engineer Dinesh Chandra Kandpal and clerk Vedpal was taken earlier in the case.
Dhami said that his Government had made it clear from the day he took charge that responsibility and accountability are important in public service. He warned that action against the offenders will be taken irrespective of the position he or she is holding.
He said that it is an endeavour of his Government to develop a new work culture in the State which is free from corruption.
J and K Government staff fired for terror links
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday terminated three Government employees for their alleged involvement with proscribed terrorist organisations Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HuM). The dismissed employees were sacked under Article 311(2)(c) of the Constitution, which permits dismissal without inquiry in the interest of national security. All three are currently in jail, officials confirmed. The sacked employees were identified as Malik Ishfaq Naseer, a police constable recruited in 2007, Ajaz Ahmed, a teacher in the School Education Department since 2011, and Waseem Ahmad Khan, a junior assistant at the Government Medical College appointed in 2007.
J and K Government staff fired for terror links
Since assuming office in August 2020, LG Sinha has prioritised dismantling the terror ecosystem in J and K. The dismissal of these three employees brings the total number of Government workers sacked for terror links to over 80. The administration has intensified efforts to target not only active terrorists but also overground workers (OGWs) and sympathisers embedded within Government institutions. According to dossiers prepared by the UT administration, the trio were “active terror collaborators” involved in logistics, arms smuggling, and facilitating terrorist operations targeting security forces and civilians. Further, Malik Ishfaq Naseer, a constable in the J and K Police, came under scrutiny in 2021 during an investigation into arms smuggling in the Jammu region. His brother, Malik Asif, a Pakistan-trained LeT militant, was killed in 2018, but Naseer allegedly continued to support the outfit. According to officials, he exploited his position to identify safe drop-off points for arms, explosives, and narcotics, sharing GPS coordinates with LeT handlers in Pakistan. He also distributed these consignments to active terrorists in the State, enabling attacks on security forces and civilians.
“Instead of upholding his oath to combat terrorism, Naseer acted as a mole, betraying his uniform and causing grave damage to the department, society, and the nation,” a senior security official stated. His LeT links were exposed in September 2021, leading to his arrest.
Ajaz Ahmed, employed in the School Education Department, was arrested in November 2023 during a routine police check in the Poonch region. He was found carrying arms, ammunition, and HuM propaganda material in his vehicle, alongside an associate. Investigations revealed that Ahmed had been a trusted operative for HuM, smuggling arms, ammunition, and narcotics for several years under the direction of Abid Ramzan Sheikh, a HuM operative based in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The seized materials were intended for militants operating in the Kashmir Valley.
Waseem Ahmad Khan (Junior Assistant, Government Medical College, Srinagar) was implicated in the 2018 assassination of prominent journalist Shujaat Bukhari and his security personnel in Srinagar.
Associated with both LeT and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Khan allegedly provided logistical support for the attack, accompanying the terrorists and aiding their escape. He was arrested in August 2018 during investigations into a separate terror attack in Srinagar’s Batmaloo area.