Congress legislator P.T. Thomas has accused State Police Chief (SPC) Loknath Behera of large-scale corruption in the acquisition of vehicles and electronic equipment for the law enforcement agency.
Participating in the Budget discussion in the Assembly on Tuesday, Mr. Thomas demanded an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the imputations, which, he claimed, was initially flagged by the office of the Advocate General.
Mr. Behera, he alleged, had denied patrol vehicles to police stations and diverted the funds to acquire luxury sports utility vehicles for ranking officers.
Agency’s influence
Mr. Thomas said a private technology firm, which was not an original equipment manufacturer, had outsize influence over the law enforcement’s choice of computers and cameras. The firm had unrestricted access to the Police Headquarters and its representatives had approached several suppliers of electronic equipment, introducing themselves as “digital advisor” to the SPC.
He said the SPC had violated store purchase rules and acquired thousands of cameras and electronic equipment to implement the law enforcement’s proposed central intrusion monitoring system in commercial establishments and well-heeled households in the State. Mr. Behera had tasked District Police Chiefs to find at least 500 subscribers for the costly anti-burglary system every month. They, in turn, pressurised the public to enrol in the pricey network.
‘Created’ committees
Mr. Thomas said Mr. Behera had created committees populated by complaint officers to clear his acquisition proposals without any question.
Mr. Behera had diverted funds meant for fortifying police compounds in regions of armed Maoist activity and sunk the money into building bungalows for senior officers. The SPC had tasked forsaken the Kerala Police Construction Corporation and entrusted the work of the costly dwellings to a private firm.
Earlier, Mr. Thomas had informed Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan in writing that he would raise the corruption allegations against Mr. Behera on the floor of the House.
