Lucknow, Aug. 28: Uttar Pradesh police have filed four graft cases against an IAS officer who was spearheading the campaign against corrupt bureaucrats, reports our special correspondent.

The police have alleged that Vijay Shankar Pandey, a 1979 batch cadre officer, was involved in a corruption case concerning the UP Spinning Mills in Kanpur during his tenure as managing director between 1997 and 1999. A vigilance inquiry had been conducted against Pandey for the alleged irregularities.

The FIRs were drawn up yesterday at Kakadev police station in Kanpur under Sections 13(1) and 13(2) of the Anti-Corruption Act.

Pandey, who was the secretary of the Uttar Pradesh IAS Action Group, was in the news recently for his campaign against corruption in the bureaucracy. The group was instrumental in identifying the three most corrupt IAS officers in the state in 1997 and was vocal against senior IAS officers, including present chief secretary Neera Yadav.

The officer alleged he was being framed by a section of bureaucrats for raising his voice against corruption. “I saw this coming. But I will come out clean and continue my crusade,” he said.

Pandey said he was fearing arrest since Yadav became chief secretary and had filed a petition before the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court recently seeking a stay on his arrest.

He also urged the court to call for the inquiry records and pleaded that the case against him be quashed. “I want a CBI probe into the entire episode,” Pandey told the court.