Patna, July 5: Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has submitted chargesheets against 11 persons, including former Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) inspector-general (IG) Pushkar Singh, in connection with irregularities in the recruitment of paramilitary force personnel in Bihar and Jharkhand in 2007-08.
The chargesheet was filed in the court of special CBI judge in Patna Bashishtha Narain Singh by investigating officer of the case V.P.S. Mann. The Delhi branch of the investigating agency had probed the case (RC-01/09).
The top CRPF officials, including Pushkar Singh, who was then posted as IG, Patna, T.M. Baxla, DIG (then posted in Ranchi) and two commandants — B.S. Sidhu (Daltenganj) and Yadvendra Singh (Jamshedpur) — have been charged under different sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988.
Others found involved in the scam have been identified as Mukesh Bhardwaj (dismissed constable), his so-called wife Swati Bhardwaj, Tripurari Kumar (brother-in-law of Mukesh), Siddhnath Sharma, Pappu Kumar alias Dilip, Pargat Singh and Pankaj Singh (all touts). All the 11 accused are on bail.
Though 18 persons were made accused in the case, chargesheets have been submitted against 11 persons only. “Investigation against others is still on,” a senior CBI official said, adding that those involved in the case had spread their network across the country.
The dismissed constable, Mukesh Bhardwaj, is said to be the mastermind of the recruitment scam worth several crores. He was arrested along with Pushkar Singh and commandant Yadvendra Singh during intensive raids in Patna, Haryana, Jharkhand, UP and Delhi on May 6, 2009.
The CBI had recovered around Rs 1 lakh from Yadvendra, Rs 7.65 lakh from Mukesh and Rs 53 lakh from Swati (who is reportedly Mukesh’s third wife). The raid at Pushkar’s office on Ashiana-Digha road and residence at Rajendra Nagar in Patna had yielded in the seizure of Rs 23 lakh.
More than 700 constables were appointed in Bihar and Jharkhand for the CRPF’s Cobra battalion, which was raised by the central government exclusively to fight the Naxalites.
The matter was handed over to the CBI after the Union home ministry found prima facie discrepancies in the constables’ appointment in Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab. Then CRPF director-general had also recommended a CBI probe.
Mann, in his preliminary report submitted to the special CBI court, had said two persons — Pappu Singh Bajra alias P. Kumar and Pargat Singh — were arrested in New Delhi railway station on May 5, 2009 by the CBI.
“The two were arrested when they were on their way to hand over Rs 6 lakh to B.S. Sidhu, the commandant of the 134 battalion of the CRPF,� the investigating officer said, adding that Sidhu happened to be the presiding officer of the CRPF constable recruitment board at Begusarai in Bihar at that time.
