Impostor row: Academy clean chit to official

Dehra Dun, April 3: The “impostor” controversy at the National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie Friday saw the institution giving a clean chit to its top official on the allegations by a woman who claimed that he was being shielded and threatened to commit suicide if she did not get justice.

The woman, Ruby Chaudhry, had claimed that she stayed at the institute with the help of a fake ID card allegedly issued by deputy director Saurabh Jain but he said the allegations were base- less and malicious and he will file criminal defamation case against her.

An Uttarakhand police team also visited Chaudhry’s native KutbaKutbi village in Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh to record statements of her family members.

The team led by deputy superintendent of police Promod Kumar questioned Chaudhry’s father Satbir Singh, uncle Ranbir Singh, brother Mohit Kumar and neighbours who said she had lied to them about her IAS training and her stay at the academy, the police said.

The academy also said that Head of a Special Investigation Team accompanied by other police officials visited the academy Friday and “interacted” with its officials and staff.

All the documentary records seized from the woman as well as the video recording, photographic and CCTV footage related to the incident has been handed over to the SIT for investigation, it said in a statement issued by the joint director of the Academy D. Nariala.

With the incident sparking security concerns, Union minister Jitendra Singh said the Centre will step in, if necessary, into the matter after the academy’s inquiry.

The woman had accused Jain of having taken a bribe of ` 5 lakh from her in three instalments for issuing her the ID card on the basis of which she stayed there for over six months.

Chaudhry had also claimed that she had been assured the job of a librarian there in exchange for ` 20 lakh.

However, the academy Friday said the “allegations of false promise of job to the alleged person were baseless, malicious and hence are categorically denied”.

It said as per information available with the academy, Chaudhry had unauthorisedly resided in the residential quarter allotted to one security guard Dev Singh.

When the matter was brought to the notice of the security incharge of the academy on March 27, an enquiry was immediately instituted, it said.