Irregular RPF posting

Irregular postings in RPF under CBI lens

Neeraj Chauhan, TNN | May 11, 2013

Some top appointments including that of RPF DG P K Mehta and others in the railway ministry are under the scanner.

NEW DELHI: Investigations into the 'jobs for sale' scandal are not restricted to the Rs 10 crore bribery involving Railway minister Pawan Bansal's nephew and Railway Board member Mahesh Kumar with the CBI probing appointments and transfers in Railway Protection Force (RPF) in the past four years.

Some top appointments including that of RPF DG P K Mehta and others in the railway ministry are under the scanner. Confirming this, CBI director Ranjit Sinha told TOI, "We have asked for files of the past four years for scrutiny and investigations are at an advanced stage. We believe there were irregularities."

Mehta had reportedly superseded 28 IPS officers to become RPF chief in May 2011, which was against the norms, sources said. The agency is preparing to interrogate former railway minister Mamata Banerjee's OSD at that time, Gautam Sanyal, the sources added.

"We have asked for files of all contracts and appointments. We have information that there were major irregularities," Sinha said. "The ambit of probe isn't limited to the Mahesh Kumar bribery case now," he added.

CBI sources said they had found that there was a nexus between officials of RPF Officers' Association and private persons in the transfers and promotions and officials paid money to get posts. Sources said some railway officials were already questioned in this fresh probe while more would be called soon.

"We are looking for defaulters in railways. A lot of private contractors and businessmen are always seen in railways, even when they are not having any contract there. We have to look for illegal contracts," a source said.