Newsmaker | AIIMS to Hemant Soren’s top bureaucrat, low-profile Rajeev Arun Ekka under the scanner

The principal secretary to the Jharkhand CM was shunted out after the BJP on Sunday released a video clip in which he is purportedly seen signing some files allegedly in the house of power broker Vishal Choudhary.

Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren and Rajeev Arun Ekka (Photo: Express/cm.jharkhand.gov.in)

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Trained as a doctor at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, in the late 1980s, Rajeev Arun Ekka, the only medical student there from his tribal community, changed career paths to become an IAS officer in 1994.

Known to keep a low profile, the Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who is set to retire next year, came under scrutiny on Sunday afternoon after the BJP released a video clip in which a person believed to be Ekka is seen signing a few files allegedly in the house of power broker Vishal Choudhary. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids at the businessman’s home last year in connection with scams related to MGNREGS, illegal mining, and money laundering.

Hours after the clip was released, the government transferred Ekka to the Panchayati Raj Department till further orders. The matter has come to light at a time when the CM’s fate hangs in the balance over the Election Commission’s (EC) recommendation to the governor on disqualifying him in connection with a case of owning a mining lease. The CM’s aide Pankaj Mishra was arrested last year in connection with alleged illegal mining in Sahibganj district.

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Sources said Ekka was shunted out quickly as he was also in charge of the Home department bureaucracy and the government could not afford the perception of a conflict of interest to develop. “The government will receive the ire anyway, even if it acts or otherwise. Even if the video is doctored, there could not be an independent investigation of Ekka at the helm of state Home Affairs. An alternate theory circulating is that Ekka was a smaller fish who got sacrificed to save a bigger fish,” said a government official.

Also Read | Jharkhand: BJP alleges govt official signed files in office of businessman

The bureaucrat, who is from Gumla district, is known to keep to himself. “Ekka always keeps a low profile and does not interact with many people. As he does not talk much, it made it hard for people to understand him,” said a person seen as close to the government.

Another government source recalled that during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, Ekka made a quick decision to start “Didi Kitchens” across the state, deploying unused funds from the Building and Construction department.

BJP leader and former CM Babulal Marandi who released the video clip on Sunday alleged that a woman seen in the video standing next to Ekka and getting files signed was Vishal Choudhary’s employee. Someone not seen in the video is then heard asking the woman if money had been received or not. Marandi demanded a high-level inquiry and said a complaint would be submitted to the governor.

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“Even in the video, Ekka is either oblivious that someone is recording the video or did not care. That is him,” said a source.

For Kolkata, the IMD has forecast mostly cloudy skies with light to moderate rain or thundershowers on most days through Panchami.

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