Two government officials held in MP for taking bribes

Two government officials in Madhya Pradesh have been arrested in two separate incidents -- one by the CBI and the other by the Lokayukta police -- for taking bribes, officials said on Thursday.

Jyoti Prakash Banerjee, office superintendent of the state-run South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) in Sohagpur in Shahdol district, was caught red-handed by the CBI on Wednesday night for taking a bribe of Rs.1 lakh from colliery worker Tularam Prajapati, said an official statement from the CBI office in Jabalpur on Thursday.

An inquiry was taking place against Prajapati over work-related issues, and Banerjee had allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs.3 lakh to clear him of any accusation and to save his job.

Prajapati claimed he has already paid him Rs.70,000. After Banerjee pressurised him to pay the rest of the amount, Prajapati filed a complaint with the CBI.

In the second incident, Lokayukta police on Thursday arrested Ramesh Chand Thakur for taking a bribe of Rs.3,000 to issue licence for a fertiliser shop in Dhar district.

Businessman Anokhi Lal filed a complaint that Thakur, a senior official in the agriculture development department, had demanded a bribe for issuing the licence.

Indore's Lokayukta Superintendent of Police Arun Mishra told IANS that based on the complaint, Thakur was nabbed red-handed while accepting the bribe. A case has been registered, but Thakur has been released on bail.