Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday took a grim view of a sting operation report aired by a private TV channel against three secretariat employees and ordered their suspension, an official said.
Adityanath has also ordered forming a Special Investigation team (SIT), to be headed by the Additional Director General (Lucknow Zone) Rajeev Krishna, to probe the matter.
Inspector General (Special Task Force) and senior officials of the Vigilance Department will be the other members of the SIT. Special Secretary (IT) Rakesh verma will extend his help to the SIT.
The Chief Minister has asked the SIT to begin the probe immediately and record the statements of all parties involved in the matter.
The SIT has been asked to complete its investigations in ten days. The Chief Minister has also instructed the Secretariat Administration department to review all other such incidents.
In the sting operation, Om Prakash Kashyap, personal secretary of Backward Welfare Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar is shown allegedly seeking Rs 40 lakh for a transfer.
There are also alleged recordings of the secretariat staff assuring the reporter posing as a contractor that a school bag and uniform contract would be swung in his favour and for the deal, talks will be held with the husband of Minister of State for Basic Education Anupama Jaiswal.
The secretary of the minister is shown seeking commission in the tender of socks and shoes. The minister, who is from the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), has clarified that he has nothing to do with the whole incident and has asked principal secretary of his department to order a probe into the matter.
In the same sting operation, secretary of MoS (Mining) Archana Pandey is shown striking a deal with the reporter for getting him mining contracts in about half-a-dozen districts.
The secretary S.P. Tripathi will be investigated by an SIT, the minister said, adding stringent action will be taken against her PS.
Santosh Awasthi, personal secretary to the MoS Basic Education, Sandeep Singh, is also seen in the sting operation "working out a deal" on a books contract and seeking his own cut in the deal. Sandeep Singh is the grandson of former UP chief minister and currently the Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh.
The sting operation has come has a rude shock to the Yogi Adityanath-led Bharatiya Janata Party government in Uttar Pradesh which has often spoken of probity and good governance.
--IANS
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