Jharkhand agrees to CBI probe into murders of labourers under MGNREGS schemes

In a belated decision the Jharkhand government has accepted one of the recommendations of the Centre for a probe into the killings of two labourers working in the projects under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREGS) scheme in two villages in the state by Cetral Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

In a voluminous fact finding report consisting over 80 pages, the Union secretary rural development B K Sinha revealed that there had been a series of murders related to job scheme under MGNREGS schemes in Jharkhand villages.

The report stated criminal conspiracy was made by some heads of the districts (deputy commissioners) who happen to be the district programme coordinators for MGNREGS and other officials to defraud the government and deprived MGNREGS workers of their due wages for personal gains.

Besides, the state government involved the contractors in contravention of rules and workers’ rights to execute all MGNREGS projects in Jharkhand.

The report of the Union secretary highlighted the involvement of two IAS deputy commissioners at Bokaro and Latehar for submitting false reports and misleading the government of India on the recent killings of Nyamat Ansari, a clse aide of civil rights activist, Jean Dreze at Latehar and Subal Mahato, a 50-year-old labourer in Bokaro by contractors.

According to official sources, MGNREGA deaths were also committed on February 8, 2008 when Turia Munda ommitted suicide at Giridh village because of wage denial. On May 14, 2008, Lalit Mehta was shot dead in Palamu. On June 2, 2008, Kameshwar Yadav, MGNREGA activist died in Giridh distruict. On July 2, 2008 Tapas Soren burnt himself at Charhi in Hazaribag due to non-payment of wages. At Charhi in Hazaribag On

August 17, 2008, Shiv Shankar (34) committed suicide at Suggi village of Palamau due to wage dispute.

The Union secretary during his visit to some of the villages in the sate found contractors were engaged in the projects. They were suspected of enjoying strong ties with the administration.

The Union secretary visited in March this year after a fifty-year-old labourer Subal Mahto was allegedly beaten to death by a contractor Bhagirath Rajwar on February 19 for demanding revised wages under MGNREGS.

However, Bokaro deputy commissioner (DC) Amitabh Kaushal in his report to the state government had said that no contractor was deployed in the MGNREGS project and wage payment was transferred directly to the accounts of labourers by the implementing agency.The DC, Bokaro stated in his report that Subal Mahto’s death was due to low blood sugar and not beating.

However, undertaking an in-depth study in meeting with the officials and villages, the Union secretary has recently recommended for the suspension of the DC’s of Bokaro and Latehar- Amitabh Kaushal and Rahul Purwar for sending false reports and misleading the government of India.

In Jharkhand a section of bureaucrats said that the state government was not bound to abide all the recommendations of the Centre particularly for immediate suspension , transfer and initiation of departmental proceedings against deputy commissioners Rahul Kumar Purwal at Latehar and Amitabh Kaushal at Bokaro.