Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, Sept 27: The police today cracked a mole in the office of Deputy Commissioner, Rajouri, after a Judicial clerk came into the net for helping powerful bovines smuggling mafia by securing fake permissions for the transportation of cattle in trucks and other vehicles to Kashmir valley via Mughal Road.
The unlawful and criminal activities of this official came under scanner when a smart and vigilant police officer in Surankote, noticed something `fishy’ and unearthed the racket, forcing District authorities to place the Judicial clerk under suspension.
Though, the document issued from the office of District Magistrate Rajouri, Jitender Kumar Singh carries the seal of District Magistrate but Mr Singh and even the Additional DC Rajouri Salim Malik have denied having issued such permission of transportation of bovine animals to Kashmir on Sept 25, 2014.
The Deputy Commissioner Rajouri, who was out of State since yesterday, directed Assistant Commissioner, Revenue Rajouri, S S Sambyal to seal the record room and place Judicial clerk Azeem Maqbool Malik under suspension. Since the same clerk was also dealing with the gun licenses permissions and had been placed there for the last many years, the DC also asked to seal that record as well, till he arrives from Delhi on Monday.
As already reported by the Excelsior that Mughal Road had turned a safe passage for the bovine smugglers, the District Police authorities in Poonch going tough on the smugglers started strict checking. But it had been reported that on the permissions issued by ADC Rajouri and even Tehsildar Thannamandi a large number of vehicles carrying bovine animals towards Valley via Mughal Road on the pretext of `Dhoks’, were moving daily. Their suspicion got aggravated even when Tehsildar Thannamandi issued over 900 permissions during this season on the pretext of a old circular for the movement of nomads on the higher reaches.
This Judicial clerk, Azeem Malik of Rajouri, working for the bovine smugglers, came into police net when a Police naka party at Bafliaz on Mughal Road intercepted a Tata mobile vehicle carrying cattle in the afternoon on Friday. The naka party asked them that they can not move ahead and asked to contact SDPO. The alleged smuggler Mohd Tabraiz, son of Mohd Aslam, resident of Jawahar Nagar Rajouri along with driver moved to SDPO Surankote, Ajay Sharma and produced permission from DC office Rajouri. While going through the permission, the DySP got suspicious. The seal of District Magistrate was carried on the document at three places while another seal under signature of Additional DC was carried at another place. It was issued under No. JC/DMR/700 dated 25-9-2014.
He contacted DC Rajouri on phone who denied having issued such permission. Upon this, the SDPO detained both the accused persons and placed under sustained questioning. Then they broke that they managed this permission from Judicial Clerk Azeem Maqbool Malik by offering him handsome amount. It was also revealed that they had managed the permission earlier also on number of occasions for transportation of cattle to Kashmir moreover, he was helping many in issuing gun licenses. The SDPO shared this information with the DC and requested him to give the police in writing that the signatures carried on document were forged and no such permission has either been issued by him or his ADC.
The SDPO sent police party to Rajouri from Surankote today morning for getting letter from ADC as DC was out of Station, the police party returned empty handed this evening as the ADC Salim Malik and some other staff members did not cooperate the police investigation team and even allegedly abused the ASI Safdar Shah, asking him to get lost and why he was so interested in this case. The police suspects that DC office staff was buying time to set the record right or tamper it for protecting the people involved as this major racket can not be run by a single clerk. There is every possibility of the involvement of some more officials at the higher level.
Deputy Commissioner, Rajouri Jitender Kumar Singh when contacted said that since he was out of station, he has directed the ADC to place Judicial Clerk Azeem under suspension. He said the ACR, Mr Sambyal has been asked to seal the record of his room including gun licenses and he was entrusted with the task of inquiry. The DC said there are apprehensions that said Judicial clerk might have indulged in the issuance of fake armed licenses and permissions of bovines transportation for doctoring the signature and tampering record. Pending inquiry, he has been placed under suspension.
The SDPO Surankote when contacted said that he shared every information with the DC and with his consent he had sent a police team led by ASI Safdar Shah to Rajouri office for getting letter from ADC whose signatures had been put on the document. What was the problem to the ADC in writing that his signatures were not there on the `fake document’ and the same had been forged by the clerk or somebody else in the office. The entire day, the police team was made to run from one room to the other and in the afternoon, the ADC abused the police officer. He regretted non-cooperation on the part of officer and staff. He further disclosed that it was actually not an order from DM but a simple circular meant for nomads who move to Dhoks on the higher reaches of Pir Panjal and parts of Kashmir along with their cattle on the onset of summer. But now, it is time of their returning from Dhoks. Issuing such permissions at this time for carrying bovines to Kashmir valley itself brings the activities at the DC office under scanner. He hoped that District Magistrate Rajouri on returning from Delhi tomorrow would take serious note of the criminal activity being initiated under his nose by his staff.
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