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| Kewal remains untouched; Govt accepts SDM's comic explanation | | Enquiry into Khour relief Cheque distribution eyewash? | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, Sept 30: Believe it or not but Kewal Krishan Sharma, forest guard turned high profile and influential PRO of Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand remains untouched officially despite having seemingly committed fraud in broad day-light.
For the fraud which has been established in the preliminary enquiry report of Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Rakesh Kumar Bhagat, the man under fire, Kewal is yet to be penalised. He has neither been suspended nor issued a show cause notice, which is mandatory as per service rules. Only an enquiry has been ordered but no action has been taken against him despite the man involved being a non-gazetted employee.
Bhagat who allowed his official platform to be misused has also been left untouched and his explanation which is not only theatrical but also comic has been accepted by the administration. In response to explanation sought from him, Bhagat had on Monday communicated to Deputy Commissioner (DC) Jammu Ajeet Kumar Sahu that he knew nothing about the man who had got photo advertisement while distributing relief cheques published in two local dailies of Jammu province.
He had claimed that the man in picture had without his knowledge got the photo clicked and later published in two local dailies. Bhagat had expressed complete ignorance about Kewal Krishan Sharma, a PRO who is known across the state of Jammu and Kashmir for one reason or the other. Early Times team learnt from people in Khour sub-division that Kewal is not known to Bhagat but is often seen in his office for one or the other reason.
The team learnt from the people that Kewal was once ace man of Tara Chand but of late, the two have developed serious differences yet he enjoys influence and power which only a Minister or bureaucrat enjoys. They further said that Kewal has been misusing name of Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand for getting his demands fulfilled in various offices across Jammu region.
People said that SDM know Kewal very well and he had come to the programme knowing well that the same was being held to distribute relief cheques. About Kewal Krishan Sharma, SDM had claimed that a person unknown to him had appeared at the site and was looking at the cheques with Sarpanch Gurdev Singh for identification while he was distributing cheques.
What could be easily seen from the photograph a blatant lie, SDM Rakesh Kumar Bhagat had claimed that the unknown person extended his hands towards the cheques without his knowledge. A look at the photograph explains all and none needs to be told whether SDM knew about Kewal Krishan Sharma or not. The story is appalling in sense that state Government has ordered enquiry into a case involving a forest guard turned Additional PRO of Deputy Chief Minister.
Instead of getting the Additional PRO booked for fraud and cheating, an official said that ordering an inquiry is intended at diffusing the situation. They added that when the SDM has claimed of not knowing who the man in the picture was; Kewal should have been booked for fraud and cheating. They further said that in any case, Kewal should have put under suspension for violating service conduct rules.
"How can a PRO go to this extent? He should have suspended pending inquiry alongwith the SDM who shamelessly allowed him to use his platform. How can someone get photograph clicked of himself alongwith SDM when the function is purely a Government event? It is unfortunate that instead of taking action, enquiry has been ordered against him," said a retired Chief Secretary. He added that such an event is unheard of in the history of J&K's administrative set-up. |
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