Former Jammu and Kashmir governor Satya Pal Malik was raided on Thursday in connection with the alleged graft in awarding the contract for the Rs 2,200-crore civil work for the Kiru Hydro Power Project in Kishtwar in 2019. At least 30 locations, including places in Jammu and Kashmir, are being searched, officials said.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) started its operation in the morning with around 100 officers to raid 30 locations in multiple cities, an official added.
Reacting to the development, Malik, who has been admitted to the hospital for the past few days, said, “Despite my illness, my residence is being raided by authoritarian forces. My driver and assistant are being needlessly harassed through these searches.”
पिछले 3-4 दिनों से मैं बिमार हूं ओर हस्पताल में भर्ती हूं। जिसके वावजूद मेरे मकान में तानाशाह द्वारा सरकारी एजेंसियों से छापे डलवाएं जा रहें हैं। मेरे ड्राईवर, मेरे साहयक के ऊपर भी छापे मारकर उनको बेवजह परेशान किया जा रहा है।में किसान का बेटा हूं, इन छापों से घबराऊंगा नहीं। में…— Satyapal Malik (@SatyapalmalikG) February 22, 2024
Malik, who was the governor of Jammu and Kashmir from August 23, 2018 to October 30, 2019, had alleged that he was offered a Rs 300-crore bribe for clearing two files, including the one pertaining to the project.
“The case was registered on allegations of malpractices in award of the contract worth approximately Rs 2,200 crore of civil works of Kiru Hydro Electric Power Project (HEP) to a private company in the year 2019,” the CBI had said earlier.
The agency had booked the former chairman of the Chenab Valley Power Projects (Private) Limited, Navin Kumar Chaudhary, former officials M S Babu, M K Mittal and Arun Kumar Mishra and Patel Engineering Limited.
Chaudhary is a 1994-batch Jammu and Kashmir-cadre (now AGMUT cadre) Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer.
Last week too six people across 12 locations in Rajasthan and Delhi were raided by the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with the project.
Sunak Bali, former press secretary to governor Malik in J&K was raided in Delhi. His premises in south Delhi’s Defence Colony and West End were raided. As per a top CBI officer, Bali is the main suspect in the case of misappropriation of funds. Malik, however, defended his former aide.
“It is unfortunate that the CBI is harassing the complainant in this case. He was my press advisor in J&K without any government salary,” Malik told ANI.
(details awaited)
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