In a major faux pas for the State Government, a team of vigilance officials had to face stiff resistance from locals when they tried to force a trap on an ‘honest’ BDO near Ranchi. As the BDO was supported by locals, the bureau sleuths had to return empty handed with tonnes of embarrassment on the department.
The series of incidents began in the morning on Tuesday when Chanho BDO Praveen Kumar was claimed to be caught red handed by a vigilance team on Tuesday for allegedly trying to take a bribe of Rs3,500 from one Krishna Kumar, a local contractor. However, he was later repositioned on his chair by the vigilance sleuths following people’s opposition who came openly into Kumar’s favour citing him to be an “honest” officer. The vigilance sleuths had to return empty handed.
IG, Vigilance Murarilal Meena, however, claimed that everything was going right after getting complaint about the BDO, but one mistake made by the complainant proved to be a spoilsport.
“Everything was going on according to the plan except one thing due to which the operation failed. The complainant was to give the money without envelop but he handed it over to him after putting it in an envelope. It was a procedural shortcoming,” said Meena.
The BDO, however, has named a local contractor Krishna Kumar, who had been seeking favour from him from quite some time, was behind the whole episode.
“As soon as I reached to my office, he tried to put an envelope in my hand but I told him that his work will be done if it is a genuine. Then he forcefully tried to put the envelope in my hand which I denied following which he threw it behind my chair,” said the BDO.
The BDO further said that he has registered an FIR against Krishna Kumar charging him of assaulting, creating hindrance in the Government work along with a defamation case against him.
Over 500 villagers even kept the vigilance team captive for over four hours for trapping the BDO who let them go only after they repositioned him on his chair with dignity. After intense pressure created by the villagers, the vigilance team called Deputy Commissioner Manoj Kumar. later, Kumar talked to Chief Secretary Rajiv Gauba and made him aware about the situation.
Taking note over the issue, Gauba immediately ordered a probe headed by South Chotanagpur Commissioner KK Khandelwal who will constitute a team involving other officials and submit a report after conducting a thorough investigation into the matter.
The Jharkhand Administrative Service Association (JHASA) has called an emergency meeting on the issue where the investigating agencies’ intent and vulnerability to political pressure are being discussed, said sources.