VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, June 25: Certain bureaucrats and police officials had pressurized the then Excise Commissioner of Jharkhand Bhor Singh Yadav not to lodge an FIR against power broker Prem Prakash in July 2018 when it was discovered that he and his men illegally took away costly liquor worth Rs seven crores from different liquor shops.
Prem Prakash enjoyed considerable influence in the previous government headed by Raghubar Das and the same continued in the Hemant Soren government also. He had a major say in framing the excise policy and the liquor trade in Jharkhand.
The then Deputy Commissioner (Excise) Gajendra Singh and General Manager of Jharkhand State Beverages Corporation Limited (JSBCL) Sudhir Kumar had jointly signed the FIR copy addressed to the officer-in-charge of Argora police station. The FIR was not taken.
A purported video of Gajendra Singh has become viral where he can be heard saying that Sunil Kumar Barnwal, the then secretary to the chief minister Raghubar Das, had called Bhor Singh Yadav several times. Gajendra Singh said that Sunil Kumar Barnwal called Excise Commissioner to persuade him not to lodge the FIR. But Bhor Singh did not pick up the phone because he was aware of the purpose for which the CM’s secretary was calling.
Gajendra Singh claimed that Bhor Singh detected a mismatch in the sale and stocks at some liquor shops and for verification, he called Prem Prakash because he was one of the suppliers of the manpower to run liquor shops. Prem Prakash had heated arguments with Bhor Singh Yadav after the department decided to lodge the FIR.
Gajendra Singh then remained sitting at Argora police station from day to late evening but the FIR could not be lodged. He said they were under huge pressure not to take any legal action against Prem Prakash.
Gajendra Singh claimed that later on somebody else called Bhor Singh Yadav and asked him to verify the matter before taking any legal action against Prem Prakash. After that call, they withdrew from the police station. But Gajendra Singh did not clarify who else had called.
When called to verify the claim made by Gajendra Singh, Bhor Singh Yadav refused to comment on this matter. “Please don’t drag me in such controversies. Don’t engage bureaucrats in such things. Please allow me to do my duty instead of dragging me in such useless controversies,” Bhor Singh Yadav said.
Sunil Kumar Barnwal said that he had no reason to call Bhor Singh Yadav. “I had neither reason nor occasion to call anybody. I believe I was not the principal secretary to the then CM. Sanjay Kumar was the principal secretary, he said.
According to Gajendra Singh, some of the IPS officers are learnt to have called Bhor Singh Yadav. The issue buried four years back has resurfaced and kicked a controversy. A senior IPS officer said that instead of alleging others, Bhor Singh Yadav and the excise department should have opted for other legal recourses also.
“Excise law empowers the department to prosecute a person for causing revenue loss. If they were unduly pressurized, they should have complained in writing to the government,” said a senior IPS officer.
On being contacted, Gajendra Singh refused to comment further on this matter. “A situation of FIR arose at that time but Prem Prakash paid the amount hence the matter was led to the rest,” he said.