GUWAHATI, Dec 7: Suspended Congress MLA from Baghbar constituency, Sherman Ali Ahmed has been granted bail two months after he was arrested by the Chief Minister’s Special Vigilance Cell over his alleged involvement in the misappropriation of funds sanctioned for construction of roads in a block under his constituency.
Ahmed, who was granted bail by the chief judicial magistrate (CJM) court here on Monday for all the three cases registered in Geetanagar police station here, stepped out of jail on Tuesday morning.
The three-time legislator was arrested by the vigilance cell in connection with government funds amounting Rs 25, 08,323 that were misappropriated out of the total sanctioned amount of Rs 65 lakh.
The funds were swindled allegedly in connivance with Mandia development block officials and staff without completion of work for 14 roads under the MLA’s local area development scheme in Baghbar constituency.
A joint verification team, which included a team of experts from PWD (roads), detected a drain of Rs 25,08,323 from the government coffers owing to misuse of money.
Ahmed, it may be mentioned, was suspended by Congress state president Bhupen Kumar Borah on October 3 last for “repeatedly flouting party rules” by making “provocative” statements, the latest being a controversial remark in the media, dishonouring eight Assamese youths who were allegedly killed by suspected Bangladeshi migrants during the Assam Agitation in Darrang district in 1983.
The MLA, while referring to the Gorukhuti eviction violence, remarked that the youths were ‘killers of people from the immigrant community’ and not ‘martyrs’.
The controversial statement had sparked strong reactions from political parties and pressure groups, with the influential All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) demanding his arrest for “disrespecting the eight martyrs of the Assam Agitation.”
