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Saga of Untied Fund Scam

By Raktim Baruah |

In the wake of growing demands, especially from a group of conscious citizens, the chief minister’s Vigilance and Anti-corruption Cell arrested five persons including two then Additional Deputy Commissioners for their alleged involvement with a multi crore rupees scam taken place in Jorhat during 2013-15. The two then ADC Anjanabh Chaliha and Bubul Lekharu, arrested by the Vigilance Cell, are now in judicial custody along with two contractors, who were also arrested in the same case. One accused is now in the custody of the Vigilance Cell after he was remanded by the Special Court of Assam for the same. The Vigilence Cell has registered a case under various sections of the IPC and the Prevetion of Corruption Act.


The multi crore scam, allegedly, occurred in implementation of various schemes from the Untied Fund earmarked for the district in the year 2013-15. The investigation to the scam revealed that Anjananabh Chaliha, the then ADC as well as the main accused of the scam, allegedly conspired with two Office  Assistants namely Prabhat Dutta and Sandhya Rani Mazoomdar in the Planning and Development branch of the Deputy Commissioner’s office, to embezzle more than rupees 30 crore earmarked under the Untied Fund. Meanwhile, the investigating agency, reportedly, found out huge misappropriation of money of other development funds too, in the district from the year 2013 to 2015 when Bishal Basanta Solanki was the Deputy Commissioner.


According to information, the accused of the Untied Fund scam also, allegedly, misappropriated MPLADs and MLALADs Funds besides the fund of the Gyanjyoti scheme. The Vigilance Cell’s investigation came into light that the accused withdrew cash from different bank accounts, maintained by the then DC, by self-drawing cheques in different course of time. ADC Chaliha was also posted as the District Development Officer (DDO) then, who, allegedly, had broken down the Financial Discipline of the government’s in disbursing funds from various development schemes.


The investigation revealed that the then DDO allotted government works without calling NIT for favouring some contractors besides granting funds for private institutions and NGOs. The contractors, in turn, allegedly offered commissions to the DDO. Meanwhile, the Vigilance Cell arrested two contractors Prabhat Dutta and Ujjaljyoti Borah, who were known as close associates with the then DDO. 

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