FIR against four IAS officers for swindling funds

The Vigilance Investigation Bureau in Bihar has lodged an FIR against ten people, including four IAS officers, for embezzlement of funds which were meant for the uplift of Dalit students in the state.

The financial irregularities were detected in Bihar Mahadalit Vikas Nigam, a corporation established in 2007 to run several welfare schemes for people of the Scheduled Castes.

Out of the four IAS officers named in the FIR, Ramashish Paswan, a promotee bureaucrat, has retired, while another, K P Ramaiah, has taken VRS.

Despite voluntary retirement, Ramaiah is currently serving as chairman of the Bihar Land Tribunal. The other two IAS officers named accused in swindling the amount of Rs 4.25 crore are S M Raju and Ravi Manubhai Parmar.

All these officers, who have been booked under sections 406, 409, 420, 467, 468, 471A and 120 B of the Indian Penal Code, have been charged with defalcation of money under welfare programmes like radio scheme, helpline centres, special schools-cum-hospitals, Dashrath Manjhi Kaushal Vikas Yojna and dress scheme for Dalits.

The FIR was lodged after Director General (Vigilance) Ravindra Kumar set up a probe team, which eventually found the allegations against these officers prima facie true.

"As the investigation progresses, the figure of the swindled amount is likely to go up. It's quite possible that those named in the FIR will be arrested soon for further questioning," said a top official, wishing not to be identified.

Raju is also an accused in fund embezzlement to the tune of Rs 9.75 crore when he was posted principal secretary in the SC/ST Welfare Department. He was suspended in January this year.

This is the third occasion when Raju has been charged with corruption.

Earlier, he was reportedly arrested in Karnataka in 2003 on the directive of the then Lokayukta N Venkatachala on the charge of accepting bribe from a private college.

Raju, who was then posted in Karnataka on inter-State deputation, was immediately repatriated to his parent cadre, Bihar, on the recommendation of the Karnataka Government.