The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, General and Social Sector, has faulted State Police Chief (SPC) Loknath Behera for violating the statutory guidelines established for ensuring fiscal probity in the procurement of equipment for modernising the force.
The CAG report for the year ended March 2018, tabled in the Assembly on Wednesday, also flagged the “shortage of 25 numbers of 5.56 mm INSAS rifle and 12,061 live cartridges”.
The finding triggered television news breaks and prompted the Opposition to highlight its national security implication.
NIA probe sought
Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala demanded a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the ‘missing ordnance’. He said the CAG's report also necessitated an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation against Mr. Behera.
The State Police said it would answer the points raised by the CAG to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which is the final word on audit findings.
The CAG said the SPC had ‘persistently’ violated Modernisation of Police Force (MOPF) guidelines by purchasing bulletproof luxury vehicles for VVIP use instead of vans for the law enforcement.
The findings
The auditors found that 15% of the vehicles purchased by the police were luxury cars for the exclusive use of “high-level officers and non-operational units” such as the CBCID. Ideally, the SPC should have used the funds to make up for the dire deficit of vehicles in police stations.
The CAG found that the police headquarters had diverted funds meant for construction of staff quarters for subordinate officers to build luxury villas for the SPC and Additional Director General of Police.
The auditors determined that the Police Department had repeatedly violated Store Purchase Manual norms and guidelines issued by the Chief Vigilance Commissioner in the procurement of a wide range of costly equipment.
The CAG said lack of state-of-the-art digital ‘mobile radios’ had hobbled anti-Maoist operations.
CM refutes charge
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan did not comment on the CAG’s report but had dismissed similar allegations raised against Mr. Behera by Congress legislator P.T. Thomas in the Assembly on Tuesday.
The Congress sought to politicise the CAG’s findings with Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Mullappally Ramachandran demanding an anti-corruption probe against Mr. Behera.