27/01/2014

 

Raids on public relations dept official’s premises raise questions


Patna,(BiharTimes): When the Economic Offence Unit (EOU) of Bihar Police conducted raids at various places belonging to Kanhaiya Kumar, the Assistant Director of Advertisement wing of Information and Public Relation Department (IPRD) and seized movable and immovable properties worth more than Rs 1.76 crore, Rs16.61 lakh cash and jewellery worth Rs six lakh the news did not get due media coverage.
Incidentally, the raids came only a few days after the RJD president Lalu Prasad, at the inaugural function of the Patna edition of Dainik Bhaskar, accused the chief minister Nitish Kumar of luring newspapers with the help of advertisements. Nitish took strong exception of this allegation at the function and even later.
But those close to the media are surprised as to how can a government official working in the Advertisement wing of the IPRD amass so much wealth. The Press, especially the print media underplay the news of the raids because they were among the beneficiaries. If sources are to be believed Kanhaiya earned a lot in this transaction with the newspapers.
The raids were conducted at the residential premises of Kanhaiya Kumar, at Rajsheela Apartment, at Sheikhpura under Shastrinagar police station of the state capital and his brother in-law’s quarter at J/109, P C Colony under Kankarbagh police station area. Another team of EOU raided his wife’s flat at Sakar Indu Villa in Rajvanshi Nagar road number-2 under Shastrinagar police station. His office at Suchana Bhavan was also searched. The EOU sleuths seized two four-wheelers, one two-wheeler, furniture and interior decoration worth around Rs 20 lakh.
According to the ADG (Headquarters), Ravindra Kumar, based on Kanhaiya Kumar’s salary, the EOU sleuths estimated that he could have savings of Rs 19.55 lakh but the estimated value of his property is many times more. The value of the property may increase further.
What is more interesting is that he remained on this post for eight long years––that is almost rhoughout the Nitish era.
Sources also said that most of his disproportionate assets were amassed after 2009.
The BiharTimes has already published stories as to how the amount spent on advertisements in the Nitish era has jumped many times in comparison to the previous regime. Now the state government has adopted another method to woo the media. It has recently sent the editor-in-chief of a premier Hindi daily of Bihar and Jharkhand to the Rajya Sabha.

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