Patna, Feb 20 (IANS) The State Vigilance Bureau (SVB) of Bihar arrested Ashish Kumar, a revenue official at the Khaira block office in Jamui district, for accepting a bribe of Rs 60,000 on Thursday.
The arrest followed a complaint by Surendra Singh, a resident of Shringarpur, who alleged that Kumar demanded money to resolve a land dispute.
Acting on the complaint, the SVB set up a trap and apprehended Kumar at the Panchayat Bhawan in Khaira block.
This marks the fifth such operation by the vigilance bureau to apprehend corrupt government officials this year. The accused was brought to Patna for further action. He is booked under the relevant sections of the Bhartiya Nyay Sahita (BNS) act in Patna’s vigilance police station. He will be produced in the special court for further inquiry.
Earlier on February 11, a sub-inspector of Bihar’s Muzaffarpur was arrested red-handed by the Vigilance Department while accepting a Rs 75,000 bribe in Muzaffarpur district on Tuesday. The alleged sub-inspector Raushan Kumar, a 2019-batch officer, was posted at Saraiya police station in the district.
According to an official, Roshan Kumar had demanded a Rs 1 lakh bribe from a victim of land misregistration to prepare a favourable supervision report.
On January 27, SVU of Bihar arrested Bhogendra Jha, a revenue zonal inspector, for accepting a bribe of Rs 51,000 in Sitamarhi. Jha, who was deployed as the Zonal Inspector in the Pupri block of the district, was scheduled to retire on January 31, 2025.
The arrest followed a complaint by Pupri resident Kamesh Thakur, who alleged that Jha was demanding a bribe for processing the mutation of six decimals of land in Bajitpur Panchayat.
Corruption, particularly in land-related matters, has been a persistent issue in Bihar. Citizens frequently report demands for bribes in offices handling land records and disputes.
In response, the Bihar government has implemented measures to combat such malpractices. The Bihar Right to Public Grievance Redressal Act, effective from June 5, 2016, provides a legal framework for citizens to lodge complaints and seek redressal within 60 working days.
Additionally, vigilance cells have been established at the district level to monitor and address corruption cases.
–IANS
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