GUWAHATI, Oct 13: The Chief Minister’s Special Vigilance Cell has taken suspended Assam deputy inspector general of police (border), Rounak Ali Hazarika in its custody after his discharge from the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) here on Wednesday.
“Doctors at GMCH have discharged him as his health condition has been found normal. He is in our custody and we will start investigation soon,” a vigilance official told mediapersons at GMCH, without divulging much.
A vigilance team had arrested Hazarika from his residence here in connection with a disproportionate assets case on October 5 but he was admitted to GMCH here on October 7 after he complained of pain in his chest.
GMCH superintendent Abhijeet Sarma told mediapersons that Hazarika (54), was evaluated by specialists and while indications of altered sensorium were traced during admission, there were no structured lesions after various tests such as ECG, CT scan (brain), MRI, APG were done.
“His bio-chemical markers and oxygen saturation levels were also found to be normal. So he was re-evaluated and finally discharged today after he was found fit. However, we can categorically say that there were no organic symptoms of a cardiac arrest,” Sarma said, adding that Hazarika had recovered within four hours of his admission in GMCH.
Earlier this month, the Court of the Special Judge here granted 10-day police custody to Hazarika in the disproportionate assets case. Following investigation, the CM’s Special Vigilance Cell arrested him from his house at Hengerabari here.
According to a statement issued by the superintendent of police, chief minister’s special vigilance cell following his arrest, there was sufficient evidence gathered during inquiry and it was found that Hazarikia had possessed immovable and movable assets disproportionate to his known sources of income during 1992 to 2021.
“It was found that Hazarika had incurred expenditure to the tune of Rs 1.74 crore (approximately) as educational expenditure of his two children till date. International travel history of Hazarika has been collected and it reveals that he travelled abroad nine times without permission from the competent authority,” the statement said.
It may be mentioned that the Assam government had suspended Hazarika in July this year for numerous visits to foreign countries without taking proper official permission.
A case (vigilance PS case number 06/2021) was registered against the DIG under Sections 13 (1) (a) (b)/13 (2) of Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, initiated as per approval of the chief minister.
Hazarika has been unable to satisfactorily account for how he could amass the pecuniary resources (cash deposits/cheque deposits in his bank accounts from known sources of income. The percentage of his disproportionate assets is found to be 164.80 percent.