Bribery accused IAS officer made director of departmental enquiries

Jaipur: In the bureaucratic reshuffle effected late Sunday night, the Rajasthan govt stirred controversy with the appointment of IAS officer Hanuman Mal Dhaka as the director of departmental enquiries, a role that entails investigating misconduct and corruption among state-level gazetted officials.

This move comes despite Dhaka facing serious allegations of corruption, including a bribe demand of Rs 25 lakh for land conversion, which led to a case registered against him by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) last year.

Dhaka's previous role as the Dudu collector saw him under scrutiny, resulting in his placement under an awaiting posting order (APO) on April 27, 2024, following ACB raids on his office and residence. Sources within the ACB confirmed Monday that Dhaka's case remains under investigation, raising questions about the ethics of his new appointment.

The state govt transferred one more IAS officer Monday as it deputed Arun Garg as district magistrate of Jhunjhunu. Garg was earlier settlement commissioner and ex-officio director consolidation (Rajasthan).

Alongside Dhaka's controversial appointment Sunday night, the reshuffle included the transfer of 62 other bureaucrats. Notable appointments included Qummer Ul Zaman Choudhary, who held the charge of PHED as joint secretary and mission director Jal Jeevan Mission, as collector and district magistrate of Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma's home district Bharatpur. Peeyush Samariya, who was the executive director of RUDSICO, was appointed as the collector and district magistrate of Kota.

Kana Ram, previously the district collector of Hanumangarh, was reassigned the same role in Sawai Madhopur. Khushaal Yadav, who held the charge of finance (taxation) department as joint secretary, stepped in as district magistrate of Hanumangarh.

Kamal Ram Meena, who was joint secretary PWD, was sent to Beawar as collector and district magistrate. Mahendra Khadgawat, who was the collector and district magistrate of Beawar, was transferred to Deedwana-Kuchaman in the same capacity.

Kalpana Agarwal, who was collector and district magistrate of Kotputli-Behror, was sent to Tonk in the same post, replacing Saumya Jha, during whose tenure violence erupted in Samraota village on the day of the bypoll for the Deoli-Uniara assembly constituency in Nov last year.