A CORRESPONDENT
SILCHAR: Yogendra Pandey, SBI chief manager (Audit) was sent to jail after his bail petition was rejected by a Silchar court on Wednesday evening. Pandey was arrested on Monday following an FIR by Alaka Dasgupta, mother of Kuldeep Dasgupta, the young manager of SBI Kabuganj branch whose body was found hanging inside the store room of the office on Saturday. Pandey, who came from Patna for internal audit of the SBI was accused of blackmailing Dasgupta after his demand for gratification was reportedly denied by the young branch manager. Pandey was arrested on Monday as Silchar police seized some prima facie evidence against him. Pandey was in two days police remand. However on Tuesday night he reportedly fell sick and was shifted to Silchar Medical College and Hospital. On Wednesday, the bail petition was filed in a Silchar court seeking interim bail on health grounds but it was rejected as no medical certificate could be produced. The court had asked the police to submit the case diary, post mortem report of Dasgupta as well as medical report of Pandey on January 18 and the next hearing would be on the following day. In the meantime Pandey was released from the SMCH and as the bail petition was rejected, he was shifted to Silchar jail.
Meanwhile, the family of Kuldeep Dasgupta alleged that a strong lobby of top level SBI officials had been trying to protect Pandey to save the image of the premiere financial institute. Pinak Roy, brother-in-law of Dasgupta said, they had full faith on the police but if necessary they would demand CBI inquiry. "It is very shocking that such malpractices in the name of internal audit are going on inside such a prestigious financial institute. Government should take the issue seriously," Roy said.
Meanwhile, another accused in the case, Shibu Nath, the grade IV staff of SBI Kabuganj branch was yet to be quizzed. On Wednesday a team of Sonai police visited the branch and talked to the staff. But Shibu Nath was not present. Sources said he was absconding. However police sources said, no prima facie evidence against Nath had been found yet and hence there was no point in arresting him.
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