Externment order against whistleblower who raised alleged corruption cases of Uttarakhand BJP leaders set aside by Divisional Commissioner
Externment order against whistleblower who raised alleged corruption cases of Uttarakhand BJP leaders set aside by divisional commissioner
S.M.A.KAZMI
Dehradun , Aug 31
In a setback to ruling BJP and Dehradun police Garhwal Divisional Commissioner Vinay Shanker Pandey has set aside the externment order issued by the Dehradun police against whistleblower Vikesh Negi who had raised issues of alleged corruption and alleged discrepancies in several projects. Vikesh Negi was externed from dehradun district under the Goonda Act on July 25, 2024.
He had challenged the impugned order of the Dehradun police in the court of Garhwal Divisional Commissioner who found merit in the case put up by the petitioner and set aside the order. Vikesh Negi who had become inconvenient for the ruling party establishment for his exposes was externed for six months from the district and was sent packing by a police team on the boundary of the district. His externment was strongly criticised by political parties, social and civil right groups.
Before the 25th anniversary celebrations of Kargil Vijay Diwas in Uttarakhand, a state with a majority of households associated with armed forces, a cradle of the famed Garhwal, Kumoan and Gorkha regiments of the Indian Army, Vikesh Negi an advocate and RTI activist had raised the issue of alleged discrepancies in the construction of ‘Sainik Dham’, an appropriate memorial for soldiers in Dehradun and other disproportionate assets cases of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and ministers.
Vikesh Negi had made life hell for the ruling BJP leaders and ministers through his exposes with use of RTI Act. Earlier, he charged Dehradun Mayor and BJP leader Sunil Uniyal ‘Gama’ of attaining disproportionate assets against his known sources of income. Later, he charged Uttarakhand Cabinet minister Ganesh Joshi of similar charges. He alleged that Ganesh Joshi received a salary of Rs. 36 lakh and 54 thousand as salary from 2007 till 2023 as a legislator and minister but in the election affidavit of 2022 assembly elections, Ganesh Joshi had declared assets worth Rs. Nine crores. Negi wrote to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi reminding him of his resolve to fight corruption and also asked the state vigilance to take appropriate action against the minister.
Vikesh Negi touched a sensitive chord by charging the Uttarakhand BJP government in which Ganesh Joshi is Sainik Welfare Minister of alleged misappropriation of funds in the construction of Sainik Dham, a soldiers’ memorial. A dream project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who termed it as the fifth ‘Dham’ after the four revered ‘Char Dhams’ of Badrinath, Kedarmnath, Yamunotri and Gangotri to be built at Purukul village on the outskirts of Dehradun to honour the soldiers at cost of Rs.49 crore.
Vikesh Negi publicly alleged that the project which was to be built by November 8, 2023 at an initial cost of Rs. 49 crore has overshot budget and now pegged at Rs.99 crore. Ironically, the project is nowhere near completion. He revealed that majorly the money for the project is coming from Union government but the project is being executed by Uttarakhand Peyjal Sansdhan and Vikas Nirman Nigam, a state government corporation.
He also alleged irregularities in the grant of tender for the project for which global tenders were not invited and interestingly, two companies which submitted their bids got their stamp and papers notarized from the same vendor. These allegations that too on the issue of alleged corruption in the construction of ‘Sainik Dham’ was too much for ruling BJP which boasts of robust nationalism as its’ main political plank.
In the extrenment order issued by the Court of District Magistrate, released by Dehradun police, Vikesh Negi has been shown found indulging in forcible taking over lands, land frauds and other criminal activities in the past. A list of five cases filed against him by the police was also submitted. The Nehru colony Police station of Dehradun said that the list of criminal cases against Vikesh Negi was submitted to the office of District Magistrate and an externment order passed against him.
Vikesh Negi in a face book alleged that he was being targeted for exposing several scams, disproportionate assets cases of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and ministers and other land scams through RTI and PIL’s in the courts. He sought a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) into the case.
