J&K opposition demands probe into IAS officer’s 'harassment' for flagging irregularities

A senior IAS officer’s allegations of harassment and corruption charges against Jammu and Kashmir administration has created a controversy with opposition leaders demanding an investigation into the incident.

Ashok Parmar, a 1992 batch IAS officer of the principal secretary rank, who has been transferred five times in the last one year, has filed a complaint with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes.

In his complaint, Parmar has alleged that J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and J&K Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta both harassed, intimidated and threatened him, due to their prejudice and bias against him for being a member of Scheduled Caste and for the reason that he highlighted bungling in implementation of flagship Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).

The officer has alleged irregularities in the procurement of pipes for the JJM scheme, which has Rs 14,000 crore budget in Jammu and Kashmir.

Parma was posted as principal secretary JJM when the alleged irregularity happened.

In his complaint to the commission, he feared that he may be implicated in false cases, as he had pointed out many financial irregularities and acts of omission and commission in the implementation of JJM in J&K.

The senior IAS officer claimed that LG Sinha on June 6, 2022 threw him out of the meeting room with the objective to “harass and humiliate him without any fault and this was done in front of all the administrative secretaries of UT of J&K.”

He further alleged that Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta on July 25, 2023 also humiliated and threw him out of the meeting of the Committee of Secretaries without any fault.

National Conference (NC) leader and former chief minister of J&K Omar Abdullah said the allegations were serious enough to deserve an impartial investigation.

“The allegations are serious enough to warrant an impartial investigation but we know that will never happen. Sadly the news media has completely ignored this story. They are being kept too busy chasing Ms World & other fluff stories. The lure of advertising rupees & the fear of summons to police stations have effectively silenced what was once a vibrant free(ish?) press in J&K (sic),” he wrote on X (formerly twitter).

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President and another former CM Mehbooba Mufti said that Parmar had taken “grave risks” to expose the alleged irregularities.

“Allegations about corruption at the highest level in J&K have finally found feet to stand upon. When an IAS officer confirms the rot in the system at the very top it indicates the grave risks he’s taken by exposing them. Instead of punishing culprits responsible for bungling of thousands of 3000 crores in the Jal Jeevan scheme, an upright officer is made to suffer,” she wrote on X.

Earlier this month, the Ministry of home affairs handed over premature retirement to 2000-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of AGMUT cadre Basant Kumar Rath in “public interest.”

Rath, known for his frequent run-ins with J&K police chief Dilbag Singh, had leveled serious corruption charges against the latter.