An executive officer and a Khilafwarzi (violation) inspector of Thanamandi Municipal Committee were among several officials booked for illegal appointments in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said Saturday.
A case has been registered under various sections of Ranbir Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act against Executive Officer of Thanamandi Municipal Committee Mohammad Kabir Malik, Khilafwarzi Inspector Khalil Ahmed and other officials after a probe revealed inconsistencies in the appointment of workers, a police spokesman said.
He said the case was registered after a preliminary inquiry prima facie established the allegations of misuse of official position by the accused.
The spokesman said some labourers working with Municipal Committee Thanamandi lodged a police complaint, claiming they were working with the committee since 2014 on consolidated honorarium but soon after biometric attendance system was started they were told their names were missing from the attendance lists.
The workers alleged that a large number of illegal appointments have been made in the committee in recent years and many relatives and close ones of employees have already been given "back door entry" and that some illegal appointees are running their business establishments in Thanamandi town, the spokesman said.
Subsequent to the complaint, Senior Superintendent of Police Yougal Manhas directed sub-divisional police officer, Thanamandi, Iftikar Chowdhary to conduct an in-depth inquiry into this matter, the spokesman said.
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"Initially, officials of the committee tried to delay the furnishing of records. However, the police seized the document and got it scrutinised, he said.
The spokesman said it was found that scribbling and over-writing was done on some orders and eraser fluid was also used to remove some names and other names were written on the said space.
"It was also found during the probe that 16 persons have been appointed by municipal authorities during the period 2015 to 2017 despite a government ban on such appointments," he said.
The probe also revealed that the executive officer and Khilafwarzi inspector engaged daily wagers in the committee with back dated entries of 2012, 2013 and 2014 but the name of such appointees were not found in the master roll which establishes that they were appointed post 2015, the spokesman said.
He said the case investigation has been entrusted to Additional SP Rajouri Liaqat Ali.