Delhi minister asks officials to record ‘threats’ by vigilance dept

Delhi Vigilance Minister Atishi has accused officials from the vigilance department of threatening and harassing officers from different departments into issuing illegal orders. She has asked concerned officers to record such instances. The minister did not name anyone in her letter.

Vigilance minister Atishi on Monday wrote to all heads of departments and agencies under the Delhi government alleging that certain vigilance department officials were “threatening” ones of other departments into issuing “illegal orders” and asked the officers concerned to record such instances going forward. The minister, however, did not name anyone in the letter, nor did she mention the names of the officials who have been threatened or harassed.

Atishi (HT Photo)

“It has been brought to my notice that officers from the vigilance department are threatening, intimidating, and harassing officers from different departments into issuing illegal orders. Officers say that they get repeated phone calls from certain vigilance department officials, threatening them that if they don’t issue the said orders, then inquiries would be opened against them and they would be suspended,” Atishi said.

Meanwhile, some Delhi government officials, asking not to be named, cited examples of the alleged intimidation. Referring to lieutenant governor VK Saxena sacking 400 “specialists” hired by the Delhi government, including 116 Delhi legislative assembly fellows, an official said: “The assembly speaker asked not to remove the fellows but the vigilance department called upon Assembly secretariat officials to remove them. A certain vigilance department officer threatened Assembly officials not to release the salaries of fellows. The vigilance department directed the Delhi government’s finance department not to release money to the Delhi Jal Board. Vigilance department directed the DTC officials not to pay bus marshals”.

A vigilance department official, however, said the minister has levelled the allegations without any empirical evidence. “All our rooms have CCTVs. If there is any recorded conversation, that can be made public,” said the official.

HT reached out to the LG secretariat which did not respond to queries seeking a comment.