Sambalpur: Image of Vigilance Department is in Stake, Many officials have been caught in corruption

Sambalpur: Some officers of the state government’s vigilance department are also involved in corruption. In the recent past, vigilance officers have been caught taking bribes, sometimes taking bribes and sometimes misusing their powers, tarnishing the image of the vigilance department. Last year, the vigilance department seized Rs 10 lakh from a man named Mukesh Sahu of Bargarh and arrested him. Mukesh was caught by the police before giving it to Vigilance Inspector Mansi Jena of Sambalpur after taking a bribe from a man to crack a case. The state government took a strict approach in this case and after arresting Mukesh along with Mansi, she was dismissed from his job.

Similarly, Bhawanipatna arrested Ashutosh Mishra, a public prosecutor, and the vigilance department seized Rs 2 lakh in bribes from him. A few years before that, another Vigilante Inspector Kamal Swain was also caught while taking bribe and after this incident he was fired from the Vigilance Department. However, another vigilance inspector, Prabir Keshari Tripathi, who was accused of corruption, escaped arrest after getting anticipatory bail.

In the case of Prabir Keshari Tripathi, the Vigilance Department maintained a silent attitude. Sambalpur Vigilance Inspector Prabir Keshari Tripathi, who was awarded the governor’s award for good work: He was accused of being involved in a land corruption in 2011. His relatives Bashudev Mishra, a retired employee of Bargarh Gobindapali and Alok Mishra of Sonepur Gornakeswarpada were accused of illegally occupying government land. In last year 2014, a senior officer of the revenue department, Ashok Purohit, complained to Sambalpur Vigilance Superintendent and Sambalpur district administration in this regard. In May 2015, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced the suspension of Vigilance Inspector Mr. Tripathi and ordered a vigilance investigation into the matter. After that, case 48/20.5.2015 was registered in Sambalpur Vigilance Station. However, despite having all the evidence, it took the vigilance department till last October 2022 to submit the charge sheet in this case. That means, after the vigilance case was filed, it took about 7 years to file the charge sheet.

A charge sheet has been filed against Sambalpur’s two former tehsildars Ajay Tiwari and Gyanranjan Bhanjdeo, former upazilapal Rainu Singh, former vigilance inspector (now Laikera police station officer) Prabir Keshari Tripathi and Sri Tripathi’s wife Kalpana, along with three other relatives. However, the complainant Mr. Purohit had to fight a long battle against corruption.

Direct Recruitment for Vigilance Department

It is alleged that the Vigilance Department, which tried hard to suppress the case after repeated requests from the government and the state Chief Information Commissioner, finally filed the charge sheet after finding no other option. Even for vigilance departments like Crime Branch, officers are not recruited directly. Officers recruited by Odisha Police are being recruited in the Vigilance Department, they are being transferred to the Vigilance Department after serving in various police stations and districts for many years. It is said that only those who are interested in fighting corruption are directly recruited for the vigilance department. As this is not the case, the corrupt officers are also involved in corruption by moving to this anti-corruption department.