Probe against 94 UP chairmen, members launched by ACC

GBNEWS24 DESK//

The Anti-Corruption Commission has started inquiries against some 94 union parishad chairmen and members for their alleged involvement in corruption and irregularities during the COVID-19 relief programmes.

“The ACC has made a list of 30 UP chairmen and 64 UP members in the past week, following media reports, that they were allegedly involved in relief embezzlement,” said ACC director for Public Relations Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya on Saturday.

An ACC team, led by its director general AKM Sohel, made the list, he said.

The local government representatives were allegedly involved in rice embezzlement through fake master roll, embezzling fishermen’s rice from VGF allocation, enrolled family members and relatives into the lists of cash incentive, and involved in irregularities in other social safety net programmes, said the ACC official.

Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya also said that the Local Government Division had already suspended them.

ACC chairman Iqbal Mahmood said that the commission had already filed 21 cases against the UP chairmen and members. Some of the accused were already arrested, he said.

The commission would take strong action against the public representatives who embezzled relief, fund and involved in other irregularities, said Iqbal Mahmood.