CBI raids DDK, Shami’s room opened, tapes seized

Senior Mandi House officials involved in exploitation of female anchors, artists

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

Srinagar, Oct 18: Returning to Srinagar after a gap of several days, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team today conducted a raid on Doordarshan Kendra (DDK) Srinagar and seized a quantity of tapes and documents from the sealed room of former Head of Programmes (HOP) and incharge Director of the station, Shami Shair.

Informed sources said that a six-member team from ACB Jammu walked into Srinagar station of DD in the forenoon and had a detailed interaction with senior officials including the incumbent Director, Qayoom Wadera. The CBI team had previously conducted its first raid on DDK Srinagar on September 21^st. It had seized records pertaining to the Rs 64 Crore “approval scam” but failed to collect tapes and documents of a large number of serials and musical series claimed to have been produced by Mrs Shair.

In the second week of September, Mrs Shair had been removed from DDK Srinagar and attached to DD headquarters in New Delhi. She was replaced by incharge Director of DDK Leh, Qayoom Wadera.

DDP Qayoom Wadera was found to have occupied the main room that remained in possession of Mrs Shair as incharge Director DDK Srinagar from June 2011 to September 13^th, 2012. No documents, tapes or other records were found or seized in that room. One particular room, occupied by Mrs Shair as Deputy Director Programme (DDP) and Producer of Programmes was found locked from outside on September 21^st.

CBI reportedly came to know that Mrs Shair had given that particular room’s keys in unauthorized custody of a retired DDK official, Ghulam Nabi Dar, and a casually engaged woman, namely Shubeena. However, both reportedly denied any information about the keys. On that occasion, CBI had failed to trace Mrs Shair. Consequently, that particular room was additionally locked and sealed from outside.

Sources said that the CBI team today opened Mrs Shair’s room and seized a quantity of tapes. Reports awaiting confirmation said that a consignment of records was also seized by CBI today.

Mr Qayoom Wadera, confirmed to Early Times that the CBI team spent several hours of the day in collecting certain records and tapes from the station. He said that the team unsealed and unlocked Mrs Shair’s room and took a quantity of tapes into its custody. He further said that the officials made a detailed inventory of the seizures and a copy thereof was handed over to him.

Another official source said that the team would spend next three days with the investigation in Srinagar. He said that residences of some serving and retired officials of DDK Srinagar were likely to be searched, though many of them are said to have already removed evidences of their involvement.

CBI, according to sources, had reports that some of the accused, including some DDK Srinagar officials, female anchors and casual artists---particularly the payees of Mrs Shair’s programmes---had removed cash as well as gold in sizable quantities and given the same in custody of their friends, relatives and acquaintances. Raids on these premises are not ruled out this time around.

However, several of the DDK officials as well as private producers and artists associated with the station for long dismissed the CBI investigation as an “eyewash”. They said that Mrs Shair and her contacts had been given enough time to remove tapes and records on September 21 and none of the people openly handling her programmes was questioned. “What are these CBI guys going to seize after a gap of one month?” asked a private producer. He asserted that CBI and DD’s own Vigilance wing had already hushed up several scandals and given clean chit to the officials who had pocketed bribe money worth Crores of Rupees in the last four years.

Even the CBI officials, including a retired SP, are facing serious allegations of having traded complaints and inquiries for privileges, including money and programmes, with DDK Srinagar officials.

Claiming to be helping CBI in the investigation but wishing anonymity, a group of private producers claimed to possess evidence of senior Mani House officials’ involvement in multi-crore scandals.

“Everybody associated with DDK Srinagar and DD Kashir knows it well that some DDK Srinagar officials used to supply many things, including money and handicrafts, to some senior officials in Mandi House. They in turn provided them huge funds and kept them intact on their postings for years while ignoring all serious complaints and reports in media”, said a private producer. He claimed that a number of female anchors and casual artists and employees were exploited by the DDK Srinagar officers---from Srinagar to Delhi---only to safeguard their own posting in Srinagar and loot of the public exchequer with impunity.

Another Srinagar-based private producer pointed out that neither DD nor union Ministry of Home Affairs had initiated any action against a number of fake producers and government officials who had impersonated as genuine producers and grabbed high budget serials from the Government of India’s counter-propaganda package on 2010. A Delhi-based retired woman DDG, who has played key role in this fraud, has been surprisingly engaged as a ‘Consultant’ by MHA. The group of private producers asked as to why CBI had not seized any of these fake producers’ bank accounts, even after everybody from J&K to New Delhi was aware of the MHA-DD scandal.

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