An IAS officer of the Odisha cadre was arrested here on Monday while accepting a bribe of ₹1 lakh from a farmhouse owner for clearing a bill.
Hours after his arrest, the Odisha government placed Director of Horticulture Bijay Ketan Upadhyaya under suspension with immediate effect. “Transparency is an important pillar of this government. We will not spare anyone indulging in corrupt practices,” the government said in a statement.
Dr. Upadhyaya, a 2009-batch officer and a native of Balasore district, had stood fifth in the 2008 Civil Services Examination.
