By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Amid the opposition’s offensive against the Uttarakhand government on corruption, a top irrigation officer and a police official have been suspended for allegedly accepting bribes within last two days.
The state Vigilance department has arrested Sub-Inspector Devesh Khugshaal, in-charge of ISBT police post in Dehradun, red handed when he was accepting a bribe of Rs one lakh, an official statement said.
The action came after the complainant alleged that Khushgal was demanding a bribe of Rs five lakh by threatening to impose Gangster Act on him in land dispute case.
The allegations were found true in a secret investigation following which the Vigilance department laid a trap and arrested Khushgal red handed on Wednesday. A case has been registered against Khushgal under the Prevention of Corruption Act. After the arrest, Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ajai Singh suspended Khushgal with immediate effect.
On Tuesday, Virendra Singh Kaintura, a government official in Dhanolti tehsil of Tehri district, was arrested red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000.
On the same day, the state government suspended Irrigation Department’s Superintending Engineer (SE) R K Tiwari with immediate effect after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) found him guilty of corruption in the auction of Pantdweep parking facility in Haridwar.
In the last three years, more than 150 people mostly government officials have been sent to jail in corruption cases, official sources said.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said in this regard that the state government is firm on making Uttarakhand corruption-free. He said ‘strict action will be taken against any officer or employee who exploits the public. Providing justice to the public is our priority.’
The opposition Congress has repeatedly attacked the Dhami government over corruption accusing it of being hand-in-glove with the “mafia” saying graft is at its peak in several departments. In the state assembly, leader of the opposition Yashpal Arya spoke of big scam in the horticulture department and claimed that Rs 70 crore had been spent under the pretext of planting 15 lakh saplings.