Team Herald
PANJIM: The Chief Vigilance Officer has directed Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) to investigate the corruption case against Police Training School (PTS) Principal SP A V Deshpande (IPS).
ACB SP Bosco George had initially pressurized his Investigating Officer to quietly bury the inquiry by taking recourse to a parallel sham inquiry by DIG Renganathan which had literally cleared Deshpande without even considering depositions of key witnesses. The SP ACB, Bosco George then referred the case to R K Srivastava, chief vigilance Officer who is the Chief Secretary of Goa, refusing to probe the case any further.
George specifically referred to Herald’s expose of the story and its consistent series of reports, establishing how the ACB was deliberately ignoring key evidences pointing to gross violations in the awarding of electrical contracts in the Police Training School, headed by IPS officer Atmaram Deshpande. He chose to call these exposes a “media trial” against Despande, a batch-mate and a close friend of Bosco George, and sent the file to his superior officer the Director of Vigilance enroute to the Chief Secretary, refusing to conduct any further probe and asking the government to do an independent probe.
The chief vigilance officer, who is the chief secretary, has sent back the file redirecting ACB to investigate the case against Deshpande.
The matter has been pending before the ACB since the complaint was filed by Advocate Aires Rodrigues based on the report published on Herald on April 23, 2105. It is almost two months since the preliminary inquiry was registered following chief secretary’s approval.
Herald has extensively reported how ACB officials, under the direction of SP George are trying to cover up the case. Prior to that Herald had also exposed every misdeed of Deshpande at the PTS with documentary proof.
Deshpande had allotted electrical wiring work at the PTS in 2014 without following the formalities. There are also gross violations in purchases at the PTS during the period Deshpande has been the Principal.
Vigilance Director Amarsen Rane said ACB is inquiring into the matter after receiving directions from the chief vigilance Officer and refused to give further details.
