Personal assistant of former Chhattisgarh Congress treasurer chargesheeted in coal scam

The 1,500-page chargesheet names Devendra Dadsena, assistant to the then Congress state treasurer Ram Gopal Agrawal, and Navneet Tiwari, both currently lodged in Raipur Central Jail, EOW sources said. According to an EOW statement: “Dadsena (a trained accountant) was the actual receiver and intermediary for large sums of cash obtained from illegal coal levy collections. Entries recorded under the name ‘Bhawan’ at Congress Bhawan, Raipur, confirm the illegal transactions conducted through him. Dadsena was an essential link in the entire chain of crime, not only physically receiving the illegal funds but also responsible for their further distribution to the accused involved in the coal scam.”

Agarwal too is a suspect in the case and his whereabouts are not for the last two years.

The statement added that Dadsena played a “crucial role in the receiving, custody, and transfer of illegal funds amounting to crores of rupees.” EOW sources said he laundered at least Rs 50 crore.

When contacted, Congress communications head in Chhattisgarh, Sushil Anand Shukla, said: “EOW is working as an agent for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and under government pressure. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also probed into it and found nothing, and now EOW is probing it. We do not believe their chargesheet. Their agenda is to tarnish the image of the Congress party”.

The second accused, Navneet Tiwari, is alleged to have been an active member of the illegal coal levy syndicate. On the instructions of accused Suryakant Tiwari, he allegedly extorted crores from coal traders and transporters in Raigarh district, transferring the funds to syndicate members in Raipur and holding benami properties bought from the illegal proceeds.

So far, 17 accused, including kingpin Suryakant Tiwari, former deputy secretary to the CMO Soumya Chaurasia, and IAS officers Ranu Sahu and Sameer Vishnoi, have been chargesheeted in the case.