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Ambika Sharma
Tribune News Service
Solan, August 23
The officials of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau today raided the residence of Assistant Drug Controller, Nishant Sarin, at Chandigarh besides six other places at Bilaspur, Zirakpur and Panchkula following complaints of having amassed properties disproportionate to his known sources of income.
Additional Director General of Police, Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, Anurag Garg, said an FIR was registered by the bureau under section 11 of the Prevention of Corruption Act after complaints of the officer having obtained undue favours like hotel accommodation, air tickets, etc., from the pharmaceutical investors. Overall seven locations were being searched by various teams of the bureau.
Sources said his parental house at Bilaspur, his Drug Control Administration’s office at Baddi, Chandigarh-based flat and two other flats in the tricity were among the places raided by separate teams of the bureau officials.
The bureau team, which raided the Baddi office, arrived around 11 am and searched his office while scanning the computers as well as files. State Drugs Controller, Navneet Marwaha, confirmed that bureau officials had searched Sarin’s office at Baddi today.
The raids in Chandigarh and other locations in the tricity were continuing at the time of filing this report and it was learnt that unaccounted cash worth lakhs and huge cache of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) was found stacked in his house. The exact number of cash and valuables were yet to be ascertained.
Sarin has remained controversial during his stay at Sirmaur also as the Assistant Drug Controller. He was recently deputed at Mandi from Baddi. His short stint at Baddi was also marred by controversy after he had entered a pharmaceutical unit without any notice or complaint and had allegedly threatened the investor. The aggrieved investor had later lodged a complaint with the SP alleging that he was pressurized him to give a false statement against another official of the department which he had refused.
Earlier, the HP Bulk Drugs Dealers Association had also complained against the officer to the health minister as well as the state Drugs Controller in April this year. The association had alleged that he was operating the same business unofficially for which he was the drug licensing authority and this was causing them harassment as he was procuring the material at lower prices and selling it at higher prices.
An inquiry was conducted into this complaint by the Director, Health Safety and Regulation, and its report was sent to the state government for further action. Sarin was caught accepting bribe some years ago too but had been let off by the court on technical ground. The officer was yet to be arrested.
Notably, this was the third official of the Drug Control Administration who has come under the bureau’s scanner. Earlier, another assistant drug controller, Kapil Dhiman, had been arrested in December 2012 for amassing disproportionate assets. Another state drug controller, Sher Singh, was arrested in Baddi with bribe money in 2008.
The information pertaining to his numerous stays in five star hotels and air travels has been compiled by the bureau officials who had been keeping vigil on his activities for the quite some time.
Sarin had joined the department in 2002 as a drug inspector and he had been promoted as an Assistant Drug Controller in 2018.
Controversial officer
3rd officer under scanner
Sarin is the third official of the Drug Control Administration who has come under the scanner. Earlier, another assistant drug controller, Kapil Dhiman, was arrested in December 2012 for amassing disproportionate assets. Another state drug controller, Sher Singh, was arrested in Baddi with bribe money in 2008.
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