• Censures CM for remaining silent on the issue for 16 days
• It is a conspiracy to derail work done by Dimapur Police
• Will accept SIT only if Commissioner of Police, Dimapur heads the investigation
DIMAPUR, JULY 15 (MExN): A wary Against Corruption and Unabated Taxation (ACAUT) Nagaland on Friday out rightly rejected the formation of Special Investigation Team (SIT) by the Nagaland Government to probe the fuel adulteration case.
It said the SIT probe would be accepted only if it is headed by the present Commissioner of Police, Dimapur. Stating reasons, ACAUT Media Cell in a press statement has alleged that the SIT announcement is nothing but an eyewash and a conspiracy to derail the excellent work done by the Dimapur Police in investigating the case. It alleged that the formation of SIT by the Nagaland state government was merely to ensure that it gives a clean chit to all the higher-ups in the government involved or linked to the larger adulteration racket.
ACAUT also expressed apprehension that the SIT during its course of investigation will not touch the issue of siphoning of SK Oil to the fuel adulteration market.
It suspected that the SIT members, irrespective of their personal integrity and efficiency, would be compelled to compromise on the issue by the state government and therefore will be “mere rubberstamps.”
ACAUT also contended that when 4 of the 5 accused ‘kingpins’ have been arrested by the Dimapur Police, the need for SIT does not arise unless the attempt is to sabotage the intensity and the commitment of the Dimapur Police’s investigation so that higher officials are not implicated.
Further, as a beforehand announcement, ACAUT said it will also reject the formation of any so-called ‘judicial enquiry’ in case it’s being contemplated.
“It is a fact that for a state which is one of the most corrupted in India, the state judiciary hasn’t convicted even a single person on corruption matter. This speaks volumes about the efficacy and integrity of our state’s judicial system,” the corruption watchdog stated.
It alleged that there “have been numerous instances when the judiciary has undone the good work done by the police on sensitive issues by issuing bails even on non-bailable sections thereby giving rise to suspicions that the judiciary is under the spell of politicians and corruptive influences.”
ACAUT, however, said it is willing to accept the SIT provided the present Commissioner of Dimapur Police head the body.
While espousing full faith in the Dimapur Police to carry out the investigation to its logical conclusion, ACAUT said it cannot allow handpicked SIT to usurp the power of Dimapur Police. “If the intention of the state government and the Chief Minister is sincere, the subject matter of Dimapur Police Commissioner heading the SIT should be accepted,” it stressed.
ACAUT also hit out at Chief Minister TR Zeliang who is also the portfolio-in charge of Food and Civil Supplies Department for remaining silent for 16 days on the fuel adulteration issue.
This silence is an admission in itself that the government wished for the issue to die a natural death, it stated, adding that the silence of the Chief Minister and the government for such long periods in any other states would have led to “massive street protests leading to unwarranted situations, even deaths.”
Meanwhile, ACAUT has lauded the Dimapur Police for arresting 4 of the 5 kingpins involved in the fuel adulteration case.
It also ridiculed the claim made by the F&CS Secretary that the FIRs were lodged by the police, when in fact it was ACAUT who filed the FIR, including one against the concerned department.
