The plan of National Commission for Mino-rities (NCM) to organise a seminar on “Police and Minorities” may be redolent with noble intentions but its enthusiasm in sensitising the police force in dealing with the country’s minorities is not shared either by the Union home ministry or the police. Many sent in their regrets when invited to participate in the seminar.
On the other hand, several non-governmental organisations (NGOs) will be participating in the seminar prompting an NCM member to ask if government officials are afraid of facing “bashing” by them. So the NCM has had to settle for West Bengal governor M.K. Narayanan and former top cop Julio Rebeiro to deliver the inaugural and valedictory speeches, respectively.
The seminar is part of the annual conference of state minorities commissions which is being hosted by the NCM on March 13 and 14 in the capital. The NCM had invited home minister P. Chidambaram to be the chief guest but he conveyed his inability to attend, said sources, as also did home secretary R.K. Singh who was invited as a speaker to the seminar, sources added.
Several senior members of the police fraternity too politely turned down the invite to participate in the seminar, citing various reasons. Among them are National Investigation Agency (NIA) director general S.C. Sinha and CBI head A.P. Singh, said sources.
The ball was then moved into the court of a special director in the CBI who in turn has pleaded that he needs the permission of higher authorities when asked to make a presentation at the seminar, sources said. So his participation in the seminar is uncertain for now. Among others who have turned down the invite are those heading the Gujarat Police Academy and the North East Police Academy.
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Assam shields Babus from probe
MANOJ ANAND
Guwahati, March 11
The order of the special court Assam to file chargesheet against 255 government officials including six IAS officers in corruption cases has revealed that the Gogoi government had asked agency to close down the cases against 17 IAS and state services officers.
Sources in the anti-corruption cell of the Assam Police told this newspaper that 17 IAS and ACS officers indicted by the chief minister‘s Vigilance Cell in the high-profile “Green House Scam” cannot be prosecuted even after the order of the court as state government through an order had denied prosecution sanctions against them in 2009. The IAS officers of Assam-Meghalaya cadre against whom the state government refused to accord prosecution sanctions in corruption cases includes Gayatri Baruah, Alok Khare, L. Phangcho, A.S. Tewari, Ashish Kumar Bhutani and H Narzary.
The government also refused prosecution sanctions against 11 officers of state services, including Subhash Buragohain, B.N. Doley, A.P. Gogoi, P.K. Das, R.K. Sarma, Ahmed Hussain, A.H. Choudhury, Jiten Borgoyary, D.K. Barthakur and G.R. Pegu.