An order by lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha’s administration transferring a whistleblower in an alleged scam in the Srinagar Smart City project has triggered a row, with the government facing allegations of foul play.
The government on Thursday repatriated three superintendents of police working in the anti-corruption bureau — Abdul Wahid Shah, Mohammad Rashid and Rakesh Kumar — to their parent home department for further posting. The order said Deep Singh Jamwal, Manzoor Ahmad Mir and Mamta Sharma have replaced them.
The order came a week after Shah, who served as additional inspector-general in the anti-corruption bureau, addressed a news conference to announce the registration of an FIR against two officers — Sajid Yousuf Bhat and Zahoor Ahmad Dar, the chief financial officer and the executive engineer of Srinagar Smart City Limited — in a disproportionate assets case.
Four days later, the anti-corruption bureau said it had launched two preliminary inquiries into the misappropriation of materials and the use of substandard materials in the Srinagar Smart City project.
Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti claimed the transfers had exposed a “nexus between the corrupt & most powerful”.
“The removal of Abdul Wahid & his colleagues from the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) highlights the risks faced by officials who challenge corruption,” Mehbooba posted on X.
The former chief minister saw a larger conspiracy as she claimed the action of “punishing the whistleblower has revealed the government’s true intentions behind using various agencies, including the ACB, to raid properties of Kashmiris under the guise of corruption investigations”.
“Raises questions about the government’s commitment to justice and accountability,” she posted on X.
Allegations of the government using top investigative agencies to target opponents are common in Jammu and Kashmir.
The government has not reacted to the latest allegations but a police officer said the decision to remove the three police officers was taken by a designated committee on December 23.
“The transfers have got nothing to do with the alleged scam,” an officer said.
The ACB last week said it had initiated a probe into the alleged use of substandard materials in the ongoing Srinagar Smart City project and the illegal sale of materials in the open market.