Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, Bhupesh BaghelJust over a week after the Chhattisgarh Cabinet announced its intention to set up a Special Investigation Team to probe into the alleged irregularities in the Public Distribution System under the Raman Singh-led dispensation, it passed an order to create a 12-member SIT.
The scam, which surfaced in 2015 during the tenure of former CM Raman Singh, pertains to the alleged disbursement of sub-standard rice through the state’s famed PDS system.
Pegging the scam at Rs 36,000 crore, the Congress had earlier alleged that the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), which was investigating the case, had softened its action against politicians and bureaucrats allegedly involved in the matter.
The Congress had earlier said that the few pages of the diary – recovered from the personal secretary of IAS officer Anit Tuteja then Managing Director of the Nagrik Apurti Nigam (NAN) – which had made it to public eye made it clear that the senior leadership of the BJP was involved in the scam, with names matching those close to BJP leaders.
On Tuesday, the government set up the SIT under controversial police officer S R P Kalluri and mandated it to complete the investigation into the “NAN Scam”, as it is known as popularly, in three months.
Sparks to fly as SIT to submit report ahead of 2019 polls
The SIT will also include another controversial police officer, Narayanpur Superintendent of Police (SP) I K Elsela.
Considered close to Kalluri, Elsela had been removed as SP Sukma after he was reportedly quoted as saying that human rights activists should be run over by vehicles. The new government had faced several questions when Elsela was transferred to Narayanpur in Bastar last week.
A senior Congress leader told The Indian Express, “Two things are very clear. This case is now going to be high profile and very controversial. The government has set a three-month investigation period, which will end just before the 2019 elections. Expect the former Chief Minister Raman Singh and other (BJP) top brass leaders to be called.”
The BJP, meanwhile, said the Congress’s decision to set up an SIT investigation into the case reeked of political motives and revenge.
