Uttar Pradesh: Vigilance probe ordered against two suspended IPS officers

LUCKNOW: After suspending of SP Mahoba - Mani Lal Patidar another IPS officer Abhishek Dixit, Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday ordered a vigilance probe against both the senior cops.
The vigilance probe would be done into properties of Dixit and Patidar, who were suspended for laxity in work and for their involvement in corruption. Both Dixit and Patidar have been attached to the office of the director general of police in Lucknow for the period of their suspension.
Dixit is an officer of 2006 batch and currently in Uttar Pradesh on deputation from his parent cadre-Tamil Nadu, while Patidar was a regular recruit of 2014 batch.
The CM also issued instructions to Uttar Pradesh DGP Hitesh Chandra Awasthy to investigate and carry out an independent probe on the role of other cops involved in such cases and take action against them.
"The CM has directed for a probe by the vigilance establishment into properties of the two IPS officers-Patidar and Dixit," as per the official statement issued by the home department on Thursday.
On Wednesday, the government had suspended Patidar, who was accused of taking bribe from stone crushers and transporters for allowing them transportation of the materials.
Patidar was suspended hours after a stone crusher dealer-Indrakant Tripathi was shot at in Mahoba and now undergoing treatment at a Kanpur hospital. Prior to that, Tripathi, in a video that went viral on social media, appealed to the UP CM Yogi Adityanath that Patidar had been demanding money for the plying of vehicles engaged in transportation of stones and harassed consistently. He had also said that if he was attacked or killed, then Patidar and Suresh Soni should be held responsible.
Whereas, on September 8, SSP Prayagraj Abhishek Dixit was also suspended for failing to control crime and corruption, and maintaining law and order. Dixit was also charged with not following the instructions of the government/headquarters properly.
Acting on the complaint of Nitish Pandey, director PP Pandey Infrastructure Private Limited, police also registered an FIR under prevention of corruption act and extortion against Patidar, SHO Charkhari-Rakesh Saroj, and sub-inspector-Raju Singh at Kotwali Nagar police station of Mahoba on Thursday.