Murderer works as government officer in UP for 6 years before conviction by court
Lucknow: In a shocking incident, an enquiry by UP irrigation department about a 6-year experienced senior assistant missing work led to the discovery of his murder conviction 11 years ago, Times of India reported on September 9.
The convict Anoop Dubey, who is in his mid-30s now, had been arrested for the murder of a youth named Devendra Singh Tomar of Nainagarh in 2013, along with Gaurav Jha, Kapil Sharma and Akash. The gang, who wanted to kill Devendra for 'arrogant behavior', had taken the victim to a secluded spot in Babina near Jhansi in the pretext of a picnic. They had shot him dead and burnt his body.
When Lakhan Singh Tomar, the victim's father, had confronted them about his missing son, they had told him about the murder and had proceeded to issue death threats, if he told anyone. Despite the threats, Tomar had filed a murder case against all four on May 17, 2013 which had let to their arrest. However, chief engineer Mithlesh Dubey, the accused's father, had succeeded in securing his bail six months later.
When his father died in 2018, Dubey had secured a job in the UP irrigations department on compassionate grounds. Despite stringent background checks, including mandatory police verification and character certificate of any candidate applying for a government post, no criminal history of Dubey had allegedly come out inspite of there being an active murder trial against him.
Dubey went on to work till August 13, this year, completing 6 years of service. On August 14, the day of verdict in his case, he was on leave to his duty at the irrigation department. Jhansi court convicted him and other three accused in Tomar murder case and sentenced them to life, on that day.
When he didn't return to work, the blissfully ignorant department had initiated an enquiry to trace him which had revealed his court conviction. The case has led many to question the credibility and efficiency of the recruitment process in the government agencies which couldn't prevent an accused murderer from securing a job and settling comfortably for over six years in public service.
The case draws parallel with that of Bitty Mohanty who was jailed for seven years in 2006 for raping a German national. Eight months later, while on a 15-days parole to visit his sick mother in Cuttack, Odisha, he escaped the clutches of law and went missing. His father B B Mohanty, an IPS officer, had been charged with helping his son abscond, an accusation which the former persistently refused. He was reinstated to service in 2009 and continued to serve in the force till his retirement in 2012.
Years of police work to locate Bitty Mohanty failed until 2013 when he was arrested from a bank in Kannur, Kerala, where he was working under a false name of 'Raghav Rajan', a resident of Andhra Pradesh. An anonymous letter sent to the bank revealing the true identity of one of its employees had led to the police tip-off.
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Consumer Affairs Minister slams air purifier firms for false claims ahead of pollution season
New Delhi, Oct 14: Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Monday criticised air purifier manufacturers for making false claims about their products, and called for increased consumer awareness ahead of winter when air pollution worsens in Delhi due to crop stubble burning in neighbouring states.
Addressing an event commemorating World Standards Day, Joshi expressed concern over misleading marketing tactics adopted by some air purifier companies.
"Discussion on air pollution has begun. Looking at Air Quality Index (AQI) on mobiles, people out of fear, go and buy air purifiers. Air purifiers make such false claims. ...We see air purifiers and so much is written but nothing is there in it. There is just a fan in it, yet claims are still made," the minister stated.
Joshi called for a collaborative approach involving the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the consumer affairs ministry and consumers to address the issue.
While praising the BIS for their "exceptionally wonderful job" in recent years, the minister emphasized that more needs to be done.
"I do not blame BIS for this. BIS in the last few years has done an exceptionally wonderful job. But both BIS and the consumer affairs ministry and consumers together need to create awareness. It is important, and I strongly feel (this way)," the minister said stressing the collective responsibility in combating misleading product claims.
He emphasized the government's commitment to ensuring every Indian has access to safe, reliable, and high-quality products and services.
These comments come as concerns grow about air quality in major Indian cities and expansion of the air purifier market.
Joshi also announced plans to make BIS standards mandatory for public procurement on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal. "BIS standards are partially implemented on GeM. We'll try to make it mandatory."
The minister highlighted the government's focus on quality standards, noting that Cabinet proposals now include global standard notes.
"These days, the tradition has started in the Union Cabinet. Wherever a bill to be introduced in Parliament comes before the Cabinet, the global standard note comes with it. That has been made mandatory for the Cabinet," he said.
This note mentions which countries perform best in the particular field, rules and how India can achieve it. "So, we have to match every Cabinet note with the global standards. This helps our government to make decisions to set high standards whether it is quality infrastructure or urban metro trains."
Implementation of standards at national level has been given a top priority by the government and is actively bringing more products under mandatory quality controls, he said.
He said that over 22,300 standards are currently in force, with 94 per cent harmonized with international standards. The number of Quality Control Orders has risen from 14 (covering 106 products) in 2014 to 174 (covering 732 products) now.
Also, 94 per cent of Indian Standards are harmonised with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
Joshi stressed the interdependence of consumers and producers in fostering a quality ecosystem. He urged the BIS to take on more leadership roles in international standardization and fast-track the development of new standards.
World Standards Day, observed annually on October 14, aims to raise awareness about standards and their role in achieving Sustainable Development Goals.
