Maharashtra: Action sought against former ACB cop for forcing engineer to pay contractor

In 2015, the irrigation department had awarded contractor Sachin Salunkhe an order for eight works in Kolad. According to the complaint, Salunkhe had not submitted proper drawings and was required to update the entire work order’s drawings before the irrigation department could issue him the entire payment. He was partly paid Rs 2.9 crore and was told by Zagade to submit corrected drawings for full payment.

It is alleged in the complaint that Salunkhe filed a complaint against Zagade with the ACB to extort payment following which deputy superintendent Kalgutkar allegedly took the engineer to Panvel Government Guest House in 2016 and demanded cheques for the remaining payment. An official from the irrigation department had to bring cheques to the guest house before Zagade was released, the complaint says.

In 2016, Zagade approached the MSHRC which directed the ACB director general to submit a detailed report. The prima facie findings found Kalgutkar had illegally detained him and misused his powers to extract payment through cheques from the government official. “The independent inquiry showed that there was illegal act and violation of human rights of the complainant,” the human rights commission’s order said.

The case has witnessed several hearings in the last few months. Kalgutkar claimed that he had kept his superior, Pravin Dixit, then director general of police, in the loop. Kalgutkar also said in his latest hearing that he laid four traps against Zagade, about whom he had received tips of bribe demands of Rs 20 lakh to clear payments.

The MSHRC observed that no FIR against Zagade has so far been registered to prove any corrupt practice.

“Zagade was allowed to leave the guest house only after he handed over the cheques. The cheques were handed over to Salunkhe by Kalgutkar,” the order said.

Justice R Bannurmath, chairperson of the MSHRC, observed that Kalgutkar despite being a public servant violated the human rights of an irrigation engineer.

“This is a strange case where one public servant complained of human rights violation against another,” he said.

Although an initial inquiry by director general found Kalgutkar guilty of misusing his powers, the government has again been directed to initiate a proper inquiry and take disciplinary action against him.

The state government will also have to pay a compensation of Rs 1 lakh within four weeks to Zagade.

According to Bipin Kumar Singh, additional director general at ACB, Kalgutkar was transferred to police cadre in Pune following the inquiry about two months ago.

“Further inquiry, if any, will be conducted by current department where he is posted,” Kumar said.