Abrar Mattoo
Sandeep Mawa, founder of Jammu and Kashmir Reconciliation Front has levelled serious allegations of misappropriation and corruption, against the senior J&K-AGMUT cadre IAS Officer Simrandeep Singh, former DC Jammu and current director of Economic Affairs, and his other family members who also either once held senior government positions or are currently serving their terms.
According to Mr. Mawa, the said IAS officer, his wife Shushma Chauhan, and his father Bhupinder Singh who was also a former officer and served as SSP Jammu before retiring, have together created unaccounted assets that are worth thousands of crores.
In the year 2016, Mr. Bhupinder Singh, purchased land measuring 12 Kanal and 12 Marlas under mutation number 32 in Sector 7 Channi Himmat Jammu which according to Mr. Mawa is worth tens of crores and could not have been purchased with white money.
Similarly, in village Ramgarh District Samba, Mr. Bhupinder Singh purchased 13 Kanals and 4 Marlas of land under mutation number 2157 in the name of his wife Manreet Kour and Son Nimrandeep Singh for the sale consideration of Rs. 2,94,0100 (3 Crore Approx.). Mr. Mawa alleges that this purchase was also done with the money that was acquired by misusing the official posts that the family members held.
Further, 20 Kanals of prime land, worth hundreds of crores was also purchased by the family on NH44 in the name of another family member. Not even that, Mrs. Karandeep Kour, wife of Mr. Bhupinder Singh, sold a custodian evacuee land for a sale consideration of Rs. 10 Crores in the year 2016 (when her son was DC Jammu) and in this regard, two FIRs were registered against her and her son, Johar Singh.
Further, Bhupinder Singh was accused of claiming Rs 5,50,000 allegedly by fraud, as the first installment of the Central government scheme payable to refugees who came from Pakistan after the partition, and in this regard, a KAS officer was also transferred for having pursued the case.
According to a copy of an election nomination form ascertained by Kashmir Despatch and filed in the year 2014, Mr. Bhupinder Singh’s total liquid assets including cash in hand and gold and vehicles were stated at Rs. 30 Lakh personal, and Rs. 5 lakh in the name of his wife. Similarly, Mr. Bhupinder Kumar stated that all his properties were worth only forty-eight (48) lakhs in the same election nomination form, while his wife’s properties were worth only 90 lakhs.
By ascertaining the documents that were presented by Mr. Mawa, it appears that Mr. Bhupinder Singh and his family members have a disproportionate number of assets in their name, that were neither stated in the election nomination form nor disclosed through any other channel. Mr. Mawa alleges that these assets, including those in Chandigarh and Mumbai, (confirmed by well-placed sources) have been obtained via an undisclosed source of income, possibly through the misappropriation of government money and exploitation of the government posts that the family members held.
“IAS officers are the pivots that create a great nation, but some black sheep in the bureaucracy are tarnishing the sanctity of this noble position. Since we have a democratic set-up, we would not let the anarchistic setup rule and in Naya Kashmir, thieves and dacoits would not be tolerated,” Mr. Mawa added.
Mr. Mawa further said that he and his party will present the documents to CBI and will not rest until the case is not taken to a logical conclusion.
