Politicians, bureaucrats under anti-graft scanner

Staff Reporter

Guwahati, April 2: A section of politicians and bureaucrats in Assam is being investigated at different stages in corruption-related cases. This was revealed in the Assam Legislative Assembly on Monday.

The State government has until now received 38 complaints against politicians and bureaucrats in corruption-related cases. On the basis of such complaints, the government has already started prelimiry inquiry into such cases. In some instances, cases have been registered and investigation is on.

Repying to a poser by Congress MLA Debabrat Saikia in the House, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said that ex-MP Rani rah, ex-minister Siddique Ahmed, ex-minister Akon Bora, MLA Rakibul Hussain, MLA Sherman Ali, ex-MLA Atawa Munda and ex-MLA Abdul Muhib Mazumdar, among others, were the ones against whom the government had received complaints, the minister said.

In the bureaucracy, complaints were received against VK Vishnoi (IFS), D Mathur (IFS) and Abhijit Rabha (IFS), but their cases are pending in the Gauhati High Court and the Central Administrative Tribul, Patowary added.

On the other hand, the minister also said chargesheets have been issued against retired IAS officers Dilip Borthakur and Ahmed Hussain.

In his written reply, Patowary said two complaints have been registered against former minister and current Congress MLA Rakibul Hussain – one on May 31, 2017 and another on March 23, 2018. The first complaint was about “misappropriation of government money” and second was on “disproportiote assets”, in which “inquiry is in progress”, he said.

The minister said ex-minister Akon Bora faced two complaints – one on May 26, 2017 and another on May 29, 2017 – and  both the complaints were against “misappropriation of government money by misusing official power”.

Patowary revealed that ex-MLAs Ataur Rahman Mazharbhuya and Abdul Muhib Mazumdar have complaints against them pertaining to “misappropriation of government fund. Cases are under investigation, he said.

The complaint against IFS officer Vishnoi is on “manipulating mineral unit tender”, while it is “misappropriation of government fund” in the case of IFS officer Mathur and “disproportiote assets” in IFS officer Rabha’s case, the minister said.