4000 files missing; Two suspended

The files, containing records of the district panchayat from 1959 to 1982, were kept in the Bhadra Kacheri 8212; in the heart of the city 8212; since the past few years after the Panchayat office was shifted to the Sardar Patel Bhuvan on the Raj Mahal Road.

The files kept in as many as 250 cloth bundles contained details about the correspondence between the State Government and the department and various other details of the department, including relevant information about irrigation ponds in the district.

Executive Engineer Irrigation Department P M Chaudhary, who inquired into the matter for a day before submitting a report on Tuesday, is currently on leave and was not available for comments.

While Nathani has not been given any time-frame to submit the report, he will inquire into the matter and find out those responsible for the missing files. He has voiced a need for someone to handle the record section.Meanwhile, Chaudhary filed a complaint in the city police station on Tuesday naming two peons as the accused. He has pointed out that as the record room keys remained with U Jethi and Shankarbhai Parmar, they were likely to have been involved. 8220;The lock is intact and none of the doors and windows are broken, which points out their involvement,8221; he has said.

A case under IPC 409 and 109 has been registered.

Meanwhile, in a late night development, the two peons were suspended for their alleged involvement in the case.