iGovernment » Issues Bihar Vigilance Department active but subjective
Vigilance sleuths in the state are trapping corrupt government officials with renewed vigour but 'big fishes' are still far away from its grip
Published on 10/21/2008 2:44:10 PM
By Sarita Yadav
Patna: In a fresh drive against corruption the state vigilance sleuths arrested six government employees from different offices across the state.
A sub inspector of police posted at Doriganj police station in Saran district was nabbed while taking Rs 1,000 from a retired army personnel for giving a passport verification report.
In another trap, the vigilance team arrested two assistants and a peon of district treasury office in Saran.
In Begusari district, one head clerk of revenue block was arrested when he was accepting Rs 30,000 as bribe for a mutation. With these arrests, while the total number of arrests by the state vigilance department has gone up to 66 this year, the total number of traps and arrests has swelled to 233.
The vigilance wing laid 108 traps in 2007 and arrested 126 officials.Raid was conducted at the residence of former Bihar Director General of Police Narayan Mishra, but he was not arrested.
It speaks volumes about the subjective mode of working of the department. In fact, the bureau has failed to nab any police official above the rank of sub-inspector of police till date.
Reports suggested that maximum number of complaints lodged in Janata Darbar of the Chief Minister were of corruption in the Police Department. However, the working of the vigilance department has also come in for some sharp criticism from different sectors including the judiciary.
While giving a clean chit to the then Madhepura District Magistrate HC Jha, the court had reprimanded the bureau for the manner and the circumstances in which the officer was arrested.
Jha was arrested while he was carrying Rs one lakh in his official vehicle on way to attend an official meeting at Patna.
The anti-corruption crackdown was carried out by two wings of the vigilance department—State Vigilance Bureau (SVB) and Special Vigilance Unit (SVU).
The SVC was constituted on the lines of the Central Vigilance Commission last year and the SVU comprised retired officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Out of five cases so far registered against senior officers including IAS and IPS officers, two of them have been retired unscathed. The SVU failed to arrest the officer and no charge sheet could be prepared and filed against them.
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Post Comments Total Comments: 3
Posted By Rohit Ranjan on 10/21/2008 3:53:25 PM
It is interesting to learn that not even a police officer above sub inspector has been nabbed by the bureau so far. Is is possible that no officer above sub-inspector are corrupt? IAS and IPS officers are amassing huge wealth here, but none of them have been booked. Nitsh should think over it. Taking bribe is crime. While people have been arrested with one hundred rupees, those who have been found with crore have not even been arrested. It is shocking.
Posted By Murari Pd. Singh on 10/30/2008 2:26:19 PM
Vigilance bureau is doing eye wash rather than any thing else. No police officer above the rank of sub inspector has yet been arrested. They are targeting small fishes. IPS and IAS in Bihar have been minting money, every one know but no action has been taken so far. Police deptt has been most corrupt but no senior officer has been arrested. They are befooling CM Nitish Kr and patting own back on trivial matters. Arresting peons, clerks, BDO engg etc are not going to remove corruption, IAS IPS has to be booked.
Posted By M Gopal on 11/2/2008 2:35:37 PM
Vigilance sleuths are be fooling Nitish Kr. Peons, clerk and lower functionaries are not the main culprits. Why are IAS, IPS, Ministers and Judges not being caught?
