A special investigation team (SIT) of Uttar Pradesh police has arrested personal secretaries of three ministers, following a sting operation conducted by a news channel, on charges of corruption and bribery.
The incident came to light after ABP News caught secretaries of State Ministers Archana Tripathi, Sandeep Singh and Om Prakash Rajbhar, seeking bribe inside the Vidhan Sabha during a sting operation conducted on Wednesday.
The Yogi Adityanath government set up the SIT headed by Additional Director General (Lucknow zone) Rajiv Krishnan to probe the charges soon after ABP News aired the video in which the secretaries were caught ‘red-handed’ asking for money in exchange for getting work done.
The arrested secretaries, who were immediately suspended (on December 28) after the video surfaced on December 27, were employed in the offices of Mining, Excise and Prohibition Minister Archana Pandey, Backward Classes Welfare Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar and Education Minister Sandeep Singh respectively. Om Prakash Kashyap- personal secretary of Backward Welfare Minister, Om Prakash Rajbhar, is purportedly seen seeking Rs 40 lakh for a transfer in the sting video.
In the same sting operation, personal secretary of Minister of State for Mining Archana Pandey was seen allegedly striking a deal with the channel’s reporter posing as the contractor, for getting him mining contracts in about six districts.
Similarly, Santosh Awasthi, personal secretary to MoS Basic Education Sandeep Singh, is also seen allegedly working out a deal for a contract for books and seeking his own cut.