Lokayukta dismisses case against Iangrai, ex-DGP

SHILLONG, Nov 15: The Meghalaya Lokayukta on Tuesday dismissed the case against SF-10 Commandant Gabriel K Iangrai and former Meghalaya Director-General of Police Rajkumar Chandranathan in connection with a complaint filed before the Lokayukta seeking a probe into the alleged misuse of vehicles in the state police headquarters (PHQ).
“The Meghalaya Lokayukta had summoned GK Iangrai and former DGP Chandranathan for hearing today. However, the complainant was found absent and hence the complaint was dismissed and as of today there is no case pending against him (Iangrai) in Meghalaya Lokayukta,” said Iangrai’s lawyer P Yobin.
The lawyer further informed that as of now Iangrai has only the CID SIT case pending against him and no notice has come for any other case.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) national spokesperson Saket Gokhale had lodged a formal complaint with the Meghalaya Lokayukta on the irregularities in the procurement of vehicles and other anomalies in the PHQ.
An order issued by the Lokayukta on October 18 said it had seen the complaint against Iangrai and Chandranathan. It scheduled on November 15 a hearing on the maintainability of the complaint.
In a letter to Lokayukta Chairperson Bhalang Dhar, the TMC leader had listed 10 points on the “horrendous conduct” of the Meghalaya Police. Gokhale said he had taken the step on the basis of Dhar’s statement that he would initiate an enquiry into the allegations if a formal complaint was lodged as there is no provision for suo-motu investigation in the Lokayukta Act.
“A total of 29 new vehicles procured by the Meghalaya PHQ had not been officially allotted to any officer and neither were they allocated to a pool of vehicles for being at the disposal of the Meghalaya Police Department. These 29 new vehicles were found to have been in the personal use of AIG (A) GK Iangrai. There are instances of many new vehicles where cheaper models were purchased but invoices were raised showing procurement of more expensive variants by the AIG,” he had written.
“There are a gross number of irregularities found in the issuing of fuel coupons for these new vehicles where government fuel was being used for private use and fake fuel coupons were generated,” Gokhale had added.
Expressing a sense of consternation, he had written: “Despite an inquiry committee headed by Meghalaya Additional IGP Mukesh Kumar Singh exposing these irregularities in a report to the Director-General of Police, Meghalaya, there has been no action against Iangrai.”