Haryana dismisses five officials linked to Rs 20cr Karnal paddy scam

Chandigarh: In a major crackdown on corruption in the public distribution system, the Haryana food and supplies department has dismissed five officials after they were found guilty in the multi-crore paddy scam unearthed in Karnal during the 2025-26 milling season. The scam, estimated to be worth nearly Rs 20 crore, involved the disappearance of large quantities of paddy from official records and alleged manipulation of transportation and stock verification processes.The dismissed officials include inspectors Sameer Vashisth, Lokesh, Sandeep Sharma and Yashbir Singh, along with sub-inspector Ramphal. All of them were posted in Karnal district at different intervals and were associated with paddy milling and procurement operations.According to department sources, around 12,500 quintals of PR-11 paddy, packed in nearly 33,750 bags, were found missing during stock reconciliation. The discrepancy triggered suspicion among senior officials and eventually led to the exposure of what investigators described as a "ghost procurement" racket.During the probe, officials reportedly discovered fake transportation entries in official records. In several cases, paddy transfers between procurement points were shown with a transportation distance of "0 kilometres", indicating that the grain had never physically moved. Investigators believe forged records were used to siphon off stocks while maintaining manipulated digital entries.Following the revelations, six FIRs were registered and several accused, including the departmental officials, were arrested by the Special Investigation Team. Though the officials later secured conditional bail, they remained under suspension pending departmental proceedings.Food and supplies department director general Anshaj Singh issued the termination orders on Friday after receiving approval from the chief minister's office, senior officials confirmed. Before the dismissals, explanations were sought from the accused officials. Some claimed the procurement process was entirely online and argued that inspectors alone could not have executed such fraud. Others blamed GPS failures, technical glitches, mill owners and transport agencies. However, inquiry officer Apar Tiwari rejected their responses, observing that such a massive shortage could not have occurred without serious lapses in monitoring and stock verification procedures. MSID:: 131138201 413 |