While the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) had recently directed all ministries, including the Union Home ministry, to cut down on fuel expense by curbing rampant misuse of official vehicles, some top officials of the Delhi Police are doing anything but. The anti-corruption branch of Delhi Police has received a number of complaints of official vehicles being used for personal purposes by top cops.
Delhi Police had launched a vigilance helpline number (9910641064) for citizens on August 6, last year, to complain against errant cops. Sources in the anti-corruption branch told Mail Today that 15 photographs that show Delhi police officers misusing their official vehicles were sent by one Kuldeep Singh Tomar from his phone 9711****78 via WhatsApp to the vigilance helpline in the last one and a half months.
“The first complaint was filed on 16, December by Tomar after he sent the photograph of a Qualis vehicle which was parked outside The Mother’s International School in Sri Aurobindo Marg. The vehicle is assigned to ACP (Parliament Street sub-division) Anyesh Roy,” a source said.
The complainant has also sent photographs of the official vehicles of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Vigilance) Sindu Pillai and an IPS couple who stays in South Delhi’s Hauz Khas area.
Interestingly, the official vehicles of both Pillai and the IPS couple were also found in a parking area outside The Mother’s International School.
However, no action has been taken even one and a half months after the complaint was filed and what is more shocking is that investigators are now allegedly harassing and trying to negotiate a deal with the complainant.
Even after several calls from Mail Today, senior officers of Delhi Police’s anti-corruption branch refused to react on the matter.
Shocking
Sources in the department said they were shocked to receive a complaint against their own DCP Sindu Pillai.
After receiving the complaint, a sub-inspector of the anti-corruption branch reportedly called up the complainant. “I got a call from one subinspector, S. N. Sharma, who introduced himself as the investigating officer. First, he asked me about my profile and then started grilling me. He asked me why I was sending photographs of cars belonging to such top officers to the vigilance helpline and whether I had any axe to grind,” complainant Kuldeep Singh Tomar, who is a Delhi-based advocate, told Mail Today.
“I told him clearly I don’t have any personal enmity against them and I had forwarded those pictures as they were misusing official vehicles. Their drivers picked and dropped their kids to school in the morning as well as in the afternoon,” Tomar said. He has now forwarded his complaint to the Union home ministry and is hoping strict action will be taken against the errant officers.
The PMO had directed all ministries during a meeting a few months back to keep a check on fuel consumption and insisted that fuel expenses should be cut down drastically.
Acting on the PMO’s direction, the Union Home Ministry had directed Delhi Police to keep a track on the movements of senior police officers and take necessary action if they are found using government vehicles for unofficial purposes.
“The wives of some officials use government vehicles for shopping and dropping children at school. A 1972 government order says that “non-duty journeys”, including dropping children at school or going to places of entertainment, public amusement, parties and pleasure trips, are prohibited. So far there is no change in this order,” an officer said.
When asked to comment on the matter, ACP Anyesh Roy said, “I have given my statement to the concerned investigation agency. I had gone to The Mother’s International School on Sri Aurobindo Marg for my personal work.”
