IAS, IPS officers face heat, Vij recommends action against duo

IAS officer indicted for ordering closure of liquor vends through verbal instructions

CHANDIGARH: HARYANA home minister Anil Vij has sought departmental action against IAS officer, Shekhar Vidyarthi and AGMUT cadre IPS officer, Pratiksha Godara, following their indictment by a Special Enquiry Team (SET). Vidyarthi is the excise and taxation commissioner (ETC) and Godara is a former Sonepat superintendent of police.

The state government had formed the SET to probe theft of confiscated liquor from warehouses.

During the lockdown, large quantity of liquor was pilfered from a godown in Kharkhauda in Sonepat. The police was also investigating the matter. “I have also written to the state vigilance bureau to conduct an inquiry on the issues that the SIT has flagged,’’ Vij said.

FINDINGS AGAINST IAS OFFICER

Additional chief secretary, power, TC Gupta, headed the SET which had submitted its inquiry report to the home minister last week. The report indicts Vidyarthi for ordering the closure of liquor vends during the lockdown by only giving verbal instructions.

“These verbal instructions should have been followed by written orders. However, no written instructions were issued by the ETC or the collector (excise). In the absence of written instructions to field officials and system integrator regarding steps to be followed for ensuring complete closure of vends, permits and passes for movement of liquor were issued during the closure period by some districts,’’ reads the inquiry report.

Vij added that Vidyarthi was also responsible for dilly dallying in reply to information that SET sought and hampering the visit of the SET to NV distillery. “The police is naming drivers of the vehicles confiscated with liquor as accused but except in a few cases, no serious efforts appeared to have been made to address the origin of smuggled liquor and to issue notices to the distilleries suspected to have smuggled liquor to join investigations.

However, after the constitution of the SET, the investigating officers have sent notices to distillery managements. The name of NV distillery is surfacing in many cases again and again. How is it possible to steal liquor in a big way without the complicity of the management itself or the excise officials posted there?,’’ said the inquiry report.

The home minister added that to verify the allegations, the SET had decided to visit NV distillery on July 3. “Though Vidyarthi agreed to accompany the SET during their visit to the distillery, he cited pre-occupation with work a few hours before they were to leave. Hence, the visit could not materialise,” Vij said.

The probe report said a written request for facilitating the SET’S visit was sent on July 18 to the ETC. “A response was received on July 29 evening when the SET was in the last stages of finalising its recommendations.

IPS OFFICER INDICTED FOR PROVIDING GUNMAN TO BHUPINDER DAHIYA, AN ACCUSED IN THE KHAKHAUDA LIQUOR THEFT CASE

FINDINGS AGAINST IPS OFFICER

Vij added that the AGMUT cadre IPS officer, Pratiksha Godara, who was on deputation to Haryana was indicted by the SIT for providing gunman to Bhupinder Dahiya, an accused in the Khakhauda liquor theft case and even recommending an arms licence for him. “The SET found that she knew, he was a liquor smuggler,’’ Vij said. The IPS officer however had told the SET that two police gunmen were provided to Bhupinder after he cited threat to his life from a gangster Raju Basodi. The gunmen were withdrawn immediately after the arrest of one of the shooters of Basodi gang. “But since the threat to his life persisted, she had recommended a weapon licence for Bhupinder,’’ said the report.