AGARTALA, July 7 (TIWN): Giving a massive blow to Manik Sarkar led state GovtUnion Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi has written a letter to Tripura’s Chief Secretary Sanjeev Ranjan, straightway directing the state government to immediately reverse former DGP, Tripura K Nagaraj’s rank from Director General to Inspector General level. Nagaraj, one of India's most corrupt IPS Officer ,is facing a CBI probe in a disproportionate assets case. He was removed as DGP in April following strong protests from the Opposition parties, which alleged that the government was continuing with a tainted officer. The letter of the Union Home Secretary came last week but state govt is yet to disclose the fact. However, TIWN gets the details of it through a top level official sources. The Ministry of Home Affairs had in April asked the state government to reverse Nagaraj’s ad-hoc promotion (three times) , citing Tripura cadre IPS officer Kuldeep Kumar’s plea against Nagaraj. Nagaraj was asked to appear before the Ministry’s Disciplinary Panel.

A highly placed TIWN sources in the state Secretariat said,"Mehrishi had to intervene after the state ignored a reminder in May asking corrupt IPS Officer cum CM Manik's trusted Nagaraj to join the probe"

The Centre’s intervention comes ahead of Assembly elections scheduled early next year as Opposition BJP is likely to take on the ruling CPM government over corruption and deteriorating law and order situation.

Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi is learnt to have pointed out that Nagaraj was given three ad-hoc promotions and made the police chief (DGP)“without consulting the central government” which was a gross violation of rules.

Mehrishi cited the case Nagaraj faces and framing of charges against him before a special CBI court in 2013 under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code.

Mehrishi noted that seven years have passed since the chargesheet was issued and that a disciplinary inquiry is still pending.

     A top level official told TIWN on Thursday," No promotional benefit can be given to any official if any vigilance or departmental procedure(DP) is pending against him/her. But in Nagraj's case three time ad-hoc promotion were given due to some mysterious reasons, after being instructed by the state Home Ministry under Manik Sarkar. "

In Tripura’s history, Chief Minister picked such a tainted IPS officer for DGP’s post who  himself is under-trial and charge-sheeted by CBI in March 29, 2007 for corruption, disproportionate assets case of purchasing real estates by spending 500 times money than the Nagraj’s  known sources of income.

In 2015, TIWN reached out to CBI officials SP Vijay Bahadur and DIG Ashiwni Chand who led the investigation and filed chargesheet against K Nagraj for massive corruption.

CBI also found that Nagraj was operating as many as 16 bank accounts and three bank lockers.
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on March 29,2007 charge-sheeted DGP of Tripura police K. Nagraj for possessing assets 500 times more than his known source of income.
Nagraj, an IPS officer of the 1983 batch of the Manipur-Tripura cadre, was charge-sheeted along with his father and brother in the court of the Special Judge, Hyderabad, for possessing assets in his own name as well as in the names of his family members.

CBI had registered the disproportionate assets case against him in 2005, filed  FIR.
Investigations by CBI revealed that during 1978 to 1997, the officer had acquired assets and incurred expenditure to the tune of Rs 83.42 lakh against an income of Rs 13.24 lakh from all his known sources of income.
“The officer was found to have possessed disproportionate assets to the tune of over Rs 70 lakh during the period that is to the tune of more than 500 per cent compared to the known sources of income,” said G Mohanty, spokesperson of CBI in 2007.
Nagraj had bought most of his properties in posh localities of Hyderabad and according to the prevailing market rate in 2017, their price would now run into Rs.100 to 120 crores.
“The properties acquired by him include a house and a plot in the posh Banjara Hills, flat in Yellarddyguda, a house and a plot in Jubilee Hills, flat in Somajiguda, Hyderabad, plots in GuttaluBegumpet, a shop in Abids and eight plots in Renga Reddy District of Andhra Pradesh,” a senior CBI official said.

Hyderabad real estate prices jumped exponentially from 1978 – 1997 to 2017 and current market approximate value estimate of Nagrajproperties :

1. A house and a plot in the posh Banjara Hills :Rs 24 to 30 crores approx
2. A Flat at in Yellarddyguda  :  Rs 2 to 4 crores approx
3. A  house and a plot in posh Jubilee Hills : Rs 29 to 35 crores approx
4. A flat in Somajiguda, Hyderabad :Rs 1.5 to 3 crores approx
5. Plots in GuttaluBegumpet (Rs 8 crores), a shop in Abids  (Rs 12 to crores)and eight plots in Ranga Reddy District of Andhra Pradesh ( approx. 14 crores).
All together Rs. 90.5 crores assets approx. – so K. Nagraj can be termed as one of the richest  and corrupt  DGP in India, which explains why Tripura's 'honest' Chief Minister chosen him for the DGP Post.

It is very shocking that CPI-M's so called Honest(?) and Poorest(?) Chief Minister Manik Sarkar always likes to promote corrupt officials - be it K Nagraj, G S G Ayenger or Comrade BDO Bimal Chakraborty or tainted Panda. 

In spite of his involvement in Rs 8 crore timer scam in Hyderabad, also involved, in massive fund looting in MGNREGA - G S G Ayenger has been given additional charges of some crucial departments.

Again BDO Bimal Chakraborty was promoted to the post of Asst Director ICA although he too is allegedly involved in massive Rs 17 crore MGNREGA scam.