Vij for action against 2 IAS, IPS officers

Strap: Move comes as Excise Commissioner, ex-SP indicted in liquor scam

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 6

Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij today recommended action against Excise and Taxation Commissioner Shekhar Vidyarthi and former Sonipat SP Pratiksha Godara after a special enquiry team formed to probe a liquor scam indicted them.

The minister also called for further investigation by the state Vigilance Bureau.

The probe panel was headed by Additional Chief Secretary (Power) TC Gupta with Additional Excise and Taxation Commissioner Vijay Singh and Gurugram Commissioner of Police Mohd Akil its members.

The scam involves theft of liquor during Covid lockdown from excise godowns in Kharkhoda. Interestingly, the godowns were located in premises rented out from the family members and a relative of alleged liquor smuggler Bhupinder Dahiya.

According to the probe report, Vidyarthi failed to provide information on inspection of the stocks of wholesale liquor licencees. The panel had to complain to the Home Department in one such case. It also said that Vidyarthi allegedly blocked their visit to NV Distillery based in Rajpura after its name cropped up in a number of cases.

They were to first visit the distillery on July 3, but Vidyarthi told them “he was busy”. The second one, planned for July 18, also had to be cancelled as he said the visit was not covered under the Punjab Excise Policy, 1914 (applicable in Haryana). The Punjab Government, however, told the panel that 22,936 cases of liquor were found unaccounted at NV Distillery.

On Godara, the panel pointed out that despite knowing Dahiya was an alleged liquor smuggler, she “provided him two gunmen and even recommended an arms licence to him”. Even in the recommendation letter to the Deputy Commissioner, she had mentioned five FIRs were lodged against him.

Asked by the panel why confiscated liquor was kept at Kharkhoda-Matindoo road godown when the premises were owned through lease by Dahiya’s wife, mother and a relative, Godara could only say “she was unaware of the ownership fact and neither the SHO concerned apprised her about it”.

The panel found that from April 1, 2019, to May 10 this year, liquor was smuggled into Haryana from other states, especially Punjab. More than 250 FIRs were registered in this connection.

Vidyarthi and Godara did not respond to phone calls, text messages and emails.