Odisha: Senior IAS officer alleges harassment by CBI team, threatens to kill self
Bhubaneswar, Feb 18 (PTI): Senior IAS officer Bishnupada Sethi on Tuesday had a heated exchange with a CBI team and threatened to end his life for loss of name and fame after officials of the investigating agency searched his residence.
The CBI team reached Sethi’s official residence at 8 AM in connection with its probe into a Rs 10 lakh bribery case.
Stating that he feels "helpless" as none listens to him being innocent in the case, Sethi threatened to end his life.
"I am ready to resign and may commit suicide in the face of harassment," Sethi told reporters outside his residence and in the presence of CBI officials.
He alleged that the CBI team took away his mobile phone and also searched his native village in Balasore district.
"They also did not bring the local police during the search," he said.
The 1995 batch IAS officer also alleged that he was being targeted for being a Dalit.
"They think we are cheap people as I do not have any political support and belong to a deprived community for which I am targeted," he claimed.
The senior bureaucrat also said he had always cooperated with the CBI and appeared before the agency twice earlier.
"However, none listens to me and there is no FIR against my name," he clarified, expressing dismay over the behaviour of two officers in the team.
"You (reporters) see, how an inspector is repeatedly touching my shoulder when I am speaking to the media," Sethi pointed out.
CBI officials present at the spot argued that there was no such ill-treatment of the officer as alleged.
Sethi, surrounded by CBI officials at his residence, said, "The CBI officials carried out a search at my residence, even though there is no FIR against me. They are unnecessarily harassing me and my family."
He said, "They (CBI) came to search my house without prior notice and their eight-member team does not include a woman officer. The male officials searched my house while my wife was the only woman in the house."
"We are being falsely implicated and harassed," Sethi’s wife told reporters.
The CBI had earlier summoned Sethi in connection with the bribery case.
Sethi claimed he has no links with Bridge and Roof Company (India) Limited, a central public sector undertaking, or its group general manager, Chanchal Mukherjee, who was arrested in the bribery case last year.
On December 7, the agency arrested Mukherjee while allegedly accepting a bribe from Santosh Moharana, director of Bhubaneswar-based Penta A Studio Private Ltd, and middleman Debadutta Mohapatra. Another person was also arrested in this connection.
After the trio’s arrest, the CBI on December 10 sent a notice to Sethi to appear before it.
"It is learnt that you are acquainted with some important and relevant facts and circumstances of the case, which are required to be ascertained from you," the CBI letter to Sethi said. His drivers were also interrogated by the agency last year.
Meanwhile, a handwritten resignation letter purportedly written by Sethi is being circulated on social media, which could not be independently verified by PTI.
The letter addressed to the chief secretary stated, "Tendering resignation as a mark of protest."
However, the authenticity of the letters was neither confirmed by Sethi or the government. Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja told PTI that he had not received any such letter.
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Marxism will remain relevant despite Left electoral's losses, says general secretary M A Baby
New Delhi (PTI): CPI(M) General Secretary M A Baby on Thursday asserted that the Left movement would remain relevant despite not being in power in any state, saying the ideology would continue to endure as long as social and economic inequalities persist.
Hitting back at BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar over his reported remarks that Marxism had become irrelevant, Baby, in an interview with PTI Videos, said, "So long as there is division in society, so long as there is exploitation of the majority of workers, peasants and ordinary masses by a handful of billionaires, Marxism will remain relevant."
"That perhaps Mr Rajeev Chandrasekhar may not be able to understand, but this is the fact of the matter," he said.
Baby acknowledged that the CPI(M)-led Left was currently without an elected government in any state, but maintained that electoral setbacks would not diminish the movement's role.
"We may not have an elected government in any state. There were occasions when we didn't have a government. But the red flag and the commitment to organise and struggle for the rights of the dispossessed, marginalised and exploited will always be upheld by CPI(M) and the Left movement," he said.
He said the Left continued to enjoy support among workers, peasants, agricultural labourers, youth, students and women, and argued that the movement remained necessary because "oppression and assault" continued in society.
"So long as such problems exist in society, the red flag and the working class movement will continue to work among the masses," the Left leader said.
Exuding confidence on the Left's revival, Baby said the party would reflect on the reasons behind its electoral loss.
"We may be rejected in one election, but we will stage our comeback by understanding what went wrong with us," he said, adding, "We will listen to people and we will come back with higher strength."
Baby also criticised the Congress over reported factional tensions in Kerala after the Congress-led United Democratic Front's victory in the state.
"The way they are behaving is being watched by the people of Kerala," he said, referring to infighting within the Congress.
"Those who have given a massive majority to Congress and UDF would be watching all this," he added, while urging party leaders to "settle the problem in an amicable, democratic manner".
Referring to West Bengal, Baby alleged that violence had escalated following the BJP's victory in the state assembly polls.
"It is quite unfortunate that the moment BJP snatched a massive victory in West Bengal, violence has also started on a big scale," he said.
He also accused the Trinamool Congress of being "notorious for violent activities" and alleged that the "RSS-controlled BJP" had "unleashed violence in many places" after the election results.
"This is not good for Bengal, not good for the country. We wish and hope that normalcy would be restored as soon as possible," he said.
Baby said the CPI(M) and the Left in West Bengal would continue efforts to "pacify people" and avoid violence and confrontation.
Asked about former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan not reacting publicly to the election results, Baby said Vijayan would respond "at an appropriate time".
