The Hindu : New Delhi News : Six suspended after Tihar expose

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Friday, May 06, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Six suspended after Tihar expose

Staff Reporter

Caught taking bribe in a sting operation by TV news channel

NEW DELHI: Two Deputy Superintendents, three Assistant Superintendents and a Warder at Delhi's Tihar Jail were suspended on Thursday after a sting operation on television channel Aaj Tak showed them taking bribe in lieu of giving information on the inmates, the Director General of Prisons, R.P. Singh, announced here.

Mr Singh said the suspended officials include Deputy Superintendent Ashwini Kumari of Central Jail No 7, who was shown selling jail records of an inmate for Rs 2,000; and Deputy Superintendent of Central Jail No. 2, R.D. Bohet. The other officials who have been proceeded against are Assistant Superintendent, Raj Kumar, who was alleged to have passed on money to inmates for a price; Assistant Superintendent, Vinod Kashyap, who allegedly allowed parking inside the jail for a consideration; and Assistant Superintendent, Daya Ram, and Warder, Digamber Singh.

As for the seventh accused, Chief Medical Officer, A.K. Bachawat, it was announced that he has been repatriated to Health and Family Welfare Department with recommendation that disciplinary proceedings be initiated against him.

Stating that prima facie it appears that all these officials had committed serious misconduct by either taking illegal gratification for illegal work in violation of Delhi Jail Manual or were found negligent in performance of their duties under inducement of illegal gratification, the Director General said an FIR under relevant provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act has been lodged against them at Hari Nagar police station and the Deputy Commissioner of Police of the Anti-Corruption Branch of Delhi Government has also been asked to initiate legal action in the matter against the delinquent officers.

Averring that no one can provide fool-proof security either inside or outside the jail, Mr Singh requested the news channel to provide unedited footage of the sting operation so that all delinquent officials can be identified and punished. He assured that an enquiry would also be initiated to ascertain if more officials were involved in the episode.

Stating that stringent action would be taken against the guilty, he said it was a "disturbing development" and this is the second time after the escape of Sher Singh Rana, prime suspect in Samajwadi Party MP Phoolan Devi's assassination, in 2002 that an incident has brought a bad name to the security apparatus at this the Asia's largest prison complex.

Mr Singh said he had also held a meeting with the Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, on the issue and apprised her of the incident and discussed jail security with her. Incidentally, Ms Dikshit is holding the portfolio of Jails with her and this is the second sting operations by the same news channel against corruption in the Delhi Government in the recent past. A couple of months ago, over 90 persons had been caught on camera taking bribe in the Sales Tax Department and 32 of them had later been placed under suspension.

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