Charge sheet submitted against Circle Officer, lot Mandal in corruption case

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, Assam submitted charge sheet against Baranya Ranjan Barthakur, ALRS (Assam Land and Revenue Service), the then Circle Officer of Thelamara Revenue Circle; and Gulzar Hussain, lot mandal, Thelamara Revenue Circle in connection with ACB PS case No. 09/2021 under section 120B IPC read with section 7(a)/12/13(2), Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018). The case was registered on September 27, 2021.

The charge sheet was submitted in the court of the Special Judge on the 58th day, which is within the statutory period of 60 days. The charge sheet comprises 288 pages, including enclosures and the case diary runs into 539 pages, including connecting papers. A total number of 20 persons, including the complainants and other witnesses, who are acquainted with the facts and circumstances of this instant case or have taken part in the investigation in some way or the other, have been examined and their statements have been recorded U/S 161 Cr.PC whereas the statement of six witnesses were also recorded by the magistrate under section 164 Cr.P.C.

Based on a complaint alleging demand of bribe, a trap was laid on September 27, 2021, by a team of the Directorate of Vigilance & Anti-Corruption, Assam in Guwahati. At around 6.15 PM, one Gulzar Hussain, lot Mandal, Thelamara Revenue Circle in Sonitpur district was caught red-handed by the team soon after he accepted a bribe of Rs. 50,000 from the complainant. The lot mandal, as part of conspiracy, was threatening and harassing the complainants by falsely claiming that their names were included in the list of middlemen (dalals) involved in dealings of land. The arrested accused person was claiming to have prepared the list of such dalals as per instruction of Baranya Ranjan Barthakur for taking action against them. He had been demanding Rs 8,00,000 from the complainant as bribe for removing their names from the above-mentioned list and for sparing them from ensuing legal action.

The bribe money was recovered from the possession of Gulzar Hussain in front of Satsang Vihar, Bhangargarh, Guwahati in the presence of independent witnesses. A case was registered in Anti-Corruption Bureau Police Station vide ACB P.S case No. 09/2021 initially U/S 7(a) of PC Act against the accused persons. Baranya Ranjan Barthakur, ALRS (Assam Land and Revenue Service), the then Circle Officer of Thelamara Revenue Circle, Sonitpur district, was also a named accused in the above mentioned case.

Subsequently section 120B of IPC and section 12/13(2) of PC Act were added in the case as per order of the court. As the investigation revealed that the bribe was demanded by Gulzar Hussain at the behest of Baranya Ranjan Barthakur, the latter was arrested on October 2, 2021, by the team of Directorate of Vigilance & Anti-Corruption, Assam from Kahilipara area in connection with above-mentioned case.

Sufficient evidence –oral, documentary and technical– have been found against both the accused persons during investigation which establishes their involvement in the above-mentioned case. Accused Baranya Ranjan Barthakur has been charged U/S 120B/420/506 IPC and Sec. 7(a)/12 of P.C. Act 1988 whereas the other arrested accused, Gulzar Hussain has been charged U/S 120B/420/506 IPC Sec. 7(a) of P.C. Act 1988.

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