J&K: Whistleblower in Srinagar Smart City Project Faces Retaliation for Exposing Graft Nexus
J&K: Whistleblower in Srinagar Smart City Project Faces Retaliation for Exposing Graft Nexus
The government repatriated three superintendents of police working in the Anti-Corruption Bureau — Abdul Wahid Shah, Mohammad Rashid, and Rakesh Kumar — to their parent home department for further posting. The order also stated that Deep Singh Jamwal, Manzoor Ahmad Mir, and Mamta Sharma have replaced them.
An order by Jammu & Kashmir Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha’s administration transferring a whistleblower in an alleged scam related to the Srinagar Smart City project has sparked controversy, with the government facing accusations of foul play.
On Thursday, the government repatriated three superintendents of police working in the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) — Abdul Wahid Shah, Mohammad Rashid, and Rakesh Kumar — to their parent home department for further posting. The order also stated that Deep Singh Jamwal, Manzoor Ahmad Mir, and Mamta Sharma would replace them. The transfer came a week after Shah, who served as additional inspector-general in the ACB, held a press conference announcing the registration of an FIR against two officers — Sajid Yousuf Bhat and Zahoor Ahmad Dar, the chief financial officer and executive engineer of Srinagar Smart City Limited — in a disproportionate assets case.
Four days later, the ACB launched two preliminary inquiries into the misappropriation of materials and the use of substandard materials in the Srinagar Smart City project.
Former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti claimed the transfers exposed a "nexus between the corrupt and the most powerful." She posted on X, “The removal of Abdul Wahid and his colleagues from the ACB highlights the risks faced by officials who challenge corruption.”
Mufti also suggested a larger conspiracy, arguing that punishing the whistleblower revealed the government’s true intentions behind using agencies, including the ACB, to raid properties of Kashmiris under the guise of corruption investigations. “Raises questions about the government’s commitment to justice and accountability,” she posted on X.
Allegations that the government uses top investigative agencies to target political opponents are common in Jammu and Kashmir.
The government has not responded to these latest allegations, but a police officer clarified that the decision to transfer the three officers was made by a designated committee on December 23. “The transfers have got nothing to do with the alleged scam,” the officer said.
The ACB had announced last week that it was investigating the alleged use of substandard materials in the ongoing Srinagar Smart City project and the illegal sale of materials in the open market.
More News
Comments