Selection of Veterinary Surgeons

Crime Branch gets evidence of RTGS transactions

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Feb 25: Having taken cognizance of the irregularities committed in selection of 55 Veterinary Assistant Surgeons, Crime Branch has conducted preliminary verification of the charges leveled by a large number of the dropped candidates and their parents. Even as it has received evidences of the electronically conducted bank transactions, officials are understood to be awaiting orders from IGP who has reportedly received a status report from the lower ranks.

Highly placed sources in Jammu & Kashmir Police revealed to Early Times that Crime Branch had launched its PV into the charges of corruption in recent selection of 55 Veterinary Assistant Surgeons on day one of the publication of a representation, carried exclusively in this newspaper. The representation, addressed to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, alleged that touts claiming to be operating on behalf of the PSC officials and a subject expert, had arranged selection of a number of their paid clients in both Kashmir and Jammu.

Attachments of the representation included a taped conversation, purportedly between a dropped candidate’s parents in Baramulla and a Jammu-based advocate, explicitly suggesting payment of bribes, ranging between Rs 5 Lakh and Rs 8 Lakh. A PSC spokesman later asserted in a press release that conversations between outsiders were in no way related to involvement or accountability of the selectors. He stressed that such people, allegedly operating as touts and agents, should be handed over to Police.

Sources, who pleaded that they were not authorized to speak and thus insisted on hiding their identity, said that IGP Crime, Raja Aijaz Ali, had immediately sought a preliminary investigation and status report that had been completed and submitted back to him. These sources said that IGP Crime was “apparently under tremendous pressure” from certain influential quarters who wished him remain inactive and not to issue any orders for registration of a formal FIR in the matter. They revealed that in the PV, CB’s sleuths had detected the key role played by one Shahnawaz Khan.

According to the details made available to the CB sleuths, most of the payment transactions have been conducted through the most modern Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system of different banks operating in Jammu and Kashmir and other states. CB sleuths are investigating why one of the selected candidates, namely Farzana Rashid had transferred an amount of Rs 3.00 Lakh and another amount of Rs 1.00 Lakh from her Saving Bank Account No:  0118040100811384 to M/s Gulab Earth Movers Lasjan under A/c No: 0257010100000827 on 7-2-2011, days before the PSC selection list came out. Out of this amount M/s Gulab Earth Movers Lasjan have transferred Rs 1.00 Lakh to Advocate Shahnavwaz Khan and Rs 5.00 Lakh to one Mr Mohammad Ashraf Thakur bearing account No: 048004010001845.

CB sleuths, according to sources, are also investigating the transactions between M/S Jay Dayal and Sons, bearing account No: 0102CD1595 and Shahnawaz Khan’s M/S Khan’s Residency, bearing account No: No: 0076CD2419.

Account No: 0161CD948 of  Firdous Ahmad Qadri R/o Awantipora is now under scanner for transaction of Rs 1.00 Lakh made to Rabia Akhtar bearing account No: 0113 SB 5242,  Rs 1.65 Lakh to M/s Asif Enteprises account No: 0014CC379, Rs 1.18 Lakh to SB A/c No: 0003SB20665, Rs 1.00 Lakh to Zaid A/c No: 0067 CD 3083, Rs Rs 3.00 Lakh to Kabli & Co Account No: 0161CC338 and Rs 2.00 Lakhs to Shahnawaz Khan SB 5881 new university campus.

M/s Asif Enterprises account is also under scanner for being used for making RTGS payments outside state to various other banks. These include a transaction of Rs 6.00 Lakh to Account No: 0393 CD 145 on 4-2-2011. Identical amount has been found to have been received by Asif Enterprises from account No: No: 0014cc487.

One selected candidate, namely Amjad-ud-islam, has been found to have withdrawn cash worth Rs 3.60 Lakhs from Saving Bank account No: 1204SB 4265 from TP Bandipora, which is suspected to have been an “advance payment”. Sources said that one Bichoo, resident of Kishtwar and Mohammad Aslam Khan of Baramulla, who have served in Animal Husbandry and Sheep Husbandry Departments respectively, are also under scanner for their role in handling transactions for selection of their clients as Veterinary Assistant Surgeons.

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