Bank scam trouble for Raman Singh

Congress releases a videotape of a purported narco-analysis conducted on a bank scam prime accused putting CM Singh in the dock for a huge a pay-off

The Congress in Chhattisgarh has released a videotape of a purported narco-analysis of the prime accused in a bank scam, in which he named Chief Minister Raman Singh, four Cabinet ministers and a former police chief as beneficiaries.

The alleged pay-off that ran into crores were paid in connection with the Indira Priyadarshimi Mahila Nagarik Cooperative Bank scam. The Raipur-based bank went bust after its board of directors siphoned off over Rs 54.38 crore. It was committed through false fixed deposit receipts, demand drafts, pay orders and disbursement of loans on the basis of fake documents.

The Reserve Bank of India revoked the bank's licence in September 2007 and a complaint was lodged with the police.

The court of chief judicial magistrate of Raipur had allowed the narco-analysis and brain mapping test of Umesh Sinha, the then bank manager and a key accused in the case, in June 2007. The narco-analysis was conducted in Bangalore.

"The state government swept the narco-analysis report under the carpet for six years and did not produce it in the court as Sinha's statement had made startling revelations," Chhattisgarh Congress' programme coordinator Bhupesh Baghel said. The Opposition party released the 54.40-minute CD in which Sinha had stated he had paid Rs 1 crore to Chief Minister Singh of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The other beneficiaries are state's senior ministers Brijmohan Agrawal, Amar Agrawal, Ramvichar Netam, Rajesh Munat and the then Director-General of Police O P Rathor, according to Sinha. He was shown saying Rs 1 crore was paid to each for the favour after the scam that duped 25,000 account-holders was exposed.

The Congress has also linked the CD to the Darbha Ghati Naxal attack on a party convoy that killed its key leaders, including state chief Nandkumar Patel and his son Dinesh Patel. Baghel said Patel was collecting all details about the scam and was in possession of the CD when he was killed.

With just four months left for state polls, the ruling BJP is on the back foot now.

"The CD is fake and the revelation has been politically motivated," Brijmohan Agrawal, a government spokesperson and one of the persons named by Sinha, said. It was an old issue and also sub-judice. The Congress should have moved to the court with the CD, Agrawal added.

BJP spokesperson Sacchidanand Upasne said the Congress was trying to take political mileage by levelling false allegation.

"The Congress party had raised question over the authenticity of narco-analysis when Telgi, (Abdul Karim Telgi, the accused in the stamp paper scam), named Sharad Pawar in one such test," he added.