Fake gate pass racket rocks Karnal grain market; Market Committee Secy booked

In a fresh blow to Haryana’s paddy procurement system, Karnal police have registered another FIR — the third this season — exposing a widening nexus of corruption involving the issuance of fake gate passes in the district’s grain markets.

The latest case has been filed against Asha Rani, Secretary of the Karnal Market Committee, and three others — Rajender Kumar of Budhanpur Viran (Indri block), Amit Kumar of Dadupur Roran and Ajay Kumar of Narukheri village — for alleged manipulation in issuing unauthorised gate passes to facilitate irregular crop arrivals.

Earlier, on October 24, the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board Chief Administrator Mukesh Kumar Ahuja had suspended three mandi employees — supervisors Hardeep, Ashwani and auction recorder Satbir — for generating fake passes through multiple IP addresses, leading to an abnormal rise in paddy arrivals.

The fresh FIR was lodged following a random verification ordered by Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Sonu Bhatt after reports of unusual arrivals from certain mandis. The inquiry revealed that gate passes, which should be issued to registered farmers on the ‘Meri Fasal Mera Byora (MFMB)’ portal, were being generated from outside the market premises using different IP addresses — a clear violation of procurement protocol.

Investigators found that the mobile numbers of Rajender, Amit and Ajay were used to access the system and issue gate passes remotely. The probe also indicated that Secretary Asha Rani had allegedly deployed private individuals to carry out the work, “blatantly violating official procedures,” the FIR stated.

“Since irregularities in gate pass issuance were detected within the Karnal Market Committee’s operations, the involvement of its officials cannot be ruled out. The Secretary appears to have failed to discharge her duties effectively,” the FIR noted.

Confirming the development, Superintendent of Police (SP) Ganga Ram Punia said, “We have registered an FIR on the complaint of District Marketing Enforcement Officer Ishwar Singh under Section 318(4) against Asha Rani and three others. The investigation will be conducted from every possible angle.”

Deputy Commissioner Uttam Singh assured strict action, stating, “The administration will not tolerate corruption in procurement. Teams are working on multiple leads. Anyone found involved will face action.”

‘The Tribune’ has been consistently highlighting alleged irregularities in paddy procurement, particularly the unusual spike in arrivals despite late harvesting and lower yields. The administration has since strengthened checks by setting up nakas at Manglora and Shergarh Tapu on the Haryana-UP border and ordering physical verification of mills and CCTV footage of grain markets.

With three FIRs registered in a fortnight, Karnal’s procurement process is now under intense scrutiny. The expanding list of accused — from secretaries and inspectors to private agents — points to a systemic failure in monitoring, raising questions over accountability and transparency in Haryana’s grain trade.