Former CM demands investigation of IAS officers over anonymous letter
Shimla, May 23
Former Chief Minister Jairam Thakur has called for a probe into an anonymous letter that exposed two IAS officers, including a Private Secretary of the Chief Minister’s Office and the Managing Director of the Electricity Board. The letter alleged their involvement in hawala kickbacks from a private company involved in a power project in Kinnuar district.
Speaking to media persons in Mandi, the Leader of Opposition, Thakur, stated that the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government did not respond to the letter, which exposed the two officials for their alleged kickbacks and he also implicated the Chief Minister himself for not responding to it.
Thakur emphasized that such anonymous letters, also referred to as “letter bombs,” have been released in the past, but this one is tarnishing the image of the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh. He urged the government to initiate a probe to verify the contents of these unnamed letters.
He further mentioned that the BJP considers this a major blow to the Congress government, as the Congress have not been in office for long, and the emergence of such letters in the public domain could negatively impact the government’s public image.
It is worth mentioning that a recent letter addressed to the Prime Minister, which complained about corruption in a power project in Kinnaur district, was sent to media persons and became viral on social media.
The two IAS officers named in the letter are senior officials of the Chief Minister’s Office and one had previously served as Deputy Commissioners of Chamba. One of them recently assumed the role of Managing Director of the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board.
The two officers are accused of being involved in the transfer of a female IAS officer, who had accused one of them, an IAS officer serving as the Chief Minister’s Private Secretary, of sexual harassment.
This situation has increased the headache for the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government, as both officers hold key positions. Pressure is mounting on Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to respond to the allegations made in the anonymous letter. Former Advocate General and senior counsel of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, Vinay Sharma, has also demanded a similar probe against the two officers and has called for their removal from their current positions until they are cleared of the allegations.
Also read: Allegations of widespread corruption in HP trigger demand for Investigation
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