Gujarat: Panel to probe allegations against IAS officer Gaurav Dahiya

GANDHINAGAR: The Gujarat government on Thursday formed a five-member committee to inquire into allegations of cheating, bigamy and intimidation against 2010 batch IAS officer Gaurav Dahiya. Chief minister Vijay Rupani has asked the committee to inquire into all allegations levelled against the IAS official.
Principal secretary, ports and transport, Sunaina Tomar will head the inquiry committee. Other members include industries commissioner Mamta Verma, GSRTC MD Sonal Mishra, retired joint secretary Devi Pandya and a woman officer of deputy secretary rank.
Meanwhile, yet another episode of altercation between Dahiya and the woman has surfaced. The incident took place in a hotel of Ahmedabad in February this year. After a heated argument between the two, both Dahiya and the woman recorded their statements before the police in the matter.
The allegations against IAS officer Gaurav Dahiya have caused much embarrassment to the state government. After media reports of allegations involving bigamy were levelled against Dahiya, the state government transferred him from the key post of mission director, National Health Mission, to the post of joint secretary in the public administration department.
Government officials said that the inquiry committee will also look into other complaints of sexual harassment filed by subordinate women employees against Gaurav Dahiya while he was posted as mission director, NHM.
The incident in February took place in a hotel on Ashram Road. “Gaurav Dahiya and his wife had gone to meet the woman in the hotel, where an altercation took place between Dahiya and the Delhi-based woman. The woman dialled the police control room and on receiving the message, our team had rushed to the hotel,” ACP Mukesh Patel said on Thursday.
He added that the woman recorded her statement in the presence of a woman PSI at the hotel itself, where she levelled allegations of bigamy and intimidation against Dahiya. The police official said that the cops asked the woman if she wanted to lodge a complaint against Dahiya, to which she replied that if required, she will lodge a complaint in Delhi. “She however had sought police protection until she stayed at the hotel, which was provided,” Patel said.
Police sources said a few days after this incident, the department received an application of complaint from Gaurav Dahiya by post. “In his application of complaint, Dahiya stated that the woman was blackmailing him. He even recorded his statement before the police, but did not sign the statement. He informed us that he was busy with general election duties and would come later. However he did not turn up afterwards,” a police official said.