Amitabh Gupta reinstated, will also head panel for migrants

After 37 days, senior IPS officer Amitabh Gupta was reinstated to his original position as principal secretary (special) of the state home department and is also appointed as head of a committee formed to assist police stations in Mumbai to compile a list of migrant workers willing to go back to their respective states. The committee is also expected to provide staff from various government departments to the police stations for compiling and uploading the list on the government website.

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Gupta was sent on compulsory leave on April 10 after it was found that he facilitated the travel of Diwan Housing Finance Limited (DHFL) promoters Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhawan by issuing a letter last month. A fact-finding committee headed by Manoj Saunik, additional chief secretary, finance, in its report found that the senior official exceeded his jurisdiction and had no authority to issue such a letter.

It further stated that the mala fide intention could not be established as it needed further probe by a proper investigation agency. The report also recommended that even if the state government accepted his explanation, he should be warned and given cautionary advice to check the background of the person before extending any such help.

Amitabh Gupta had accepted that the letter was issued by him. He admitted that he should not have issued it, but insisted that it was done on humanitarian grounds, stated the probe report.

On Monday, a three-member committee was been formed to assist the police staff in compiling the list of migrants who wants to undertake travel to their respective states and other related works. The committee is headed Gupta along with Vinay Chaube, joint commissioner of police, Mumbai and Rahul Kulkarni, deputy secretary, general administration department, states the order issued by chief secretary Ajoy Mehta.

“The committee will provide required additional manpower for assisting the local police station in Mumbai city for compiling, collating uploading and processing the data in the National Migrant Information System (NMIS) portal of Government of India. As per the requirement, the committee will requisite and deploy manpower (age less than 40 years) from Mantralaya and other field officials of various government departments. All the head of the department shall assist and provide manpower as requisitioned by the said committee as emergency essential services till May 31,” it states further.

“Gupta resumed charge as principal secretary on Saturday. He, however, was also warned of not repeating any such action in the future,” said a senior official, requesting anonymity.

The Wadhawan family comprising 23 members travelled to Mahabaleshwar, bypassing sealed district borders aided by a letter given by Gupta on his letterhead as the principal secretary (special), home department amid national lockdown. This led to a controversy as the opposition parties raised questions on whose orders the letter was issued.

Kapil and Dheeraj are accused in DHFL scam and had been issued non-bailable warrants by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The family, along with other outsiders, had travelled from Khandala to Mahabaleshwar in their cars even when the borders of Satara and Pune districts were sealed amid the lockdown.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the reinstatement of Gupta as well as the entire Wadhawan incident. Leader of Opposition, Devendra Fadnavis said, “Amitabh Gupta, who had given a transit pass to CBI accused Wadhawans has been re-instated on his post. At that time also I had said that such a pass cannot be given by official on his own unless important politicians in the government give such a signal or ask him to do so. His reinstatement makes it clear that some important people who run the government ensured Wadhawans got the transit pass. We want this entire incident to be inquired by the CBI.’’