Subhas Chandra Pattanayak
India’s famous NGO, the Servants of the People Society (SoPS) is in a quagmire of criminal activities. A gang headed by one of its former presidents – Manubhai Patel – has allegedly grabbed it in violation of its constitution and has resorted to criminal breach of trust, embezzlement and many such felonies.
Known authority of SoPS Prof. K. C. Tripathy has raised the issue in the appropriate judicial forum; but the gang has not yet been able to establish its legitimacy. It is misusing the media power of Orissa’s popular daily The Samaja, which is under its illegal occupation, to browbeat the State officials to the extent of obliteration of records in police stations.
One such instance is missing of Tripathy’s original FIR in the Khuntuni P.S. in the district of Cuttack despite receipts granted against the same. Tripathy had filed the FIR on 12 September 2012 and was sure of action against the serious offenses that he had pointed out with more then 200 pages of supportive documentary evidence. But, the entire bunch of documents along with the FIR was obliterated from the P.S. records.
The OIC, who obliterated the records even after having giving the receipt, has, in the mean time, been transferred, probably with the help of the manipulators, as going away from the P.S. was clearly in his and the gang’s interest.
The new OIC has, therefore, on 17 November 2012, obtained a copy of the FIR from the District Police Office, where it was available, as the complainant had forwarded the same to the Superintendent of Police (S.P.) seeking his intervention in the matter. And, with this copy of the FIR obtained from the S.P. office, the new OIC of Khuntuni P.S. has registered a case under section 420/34 IPC against Manubhai Patel and his gang comprising Niranjan Rath, Pravash Acharya, Bhimsen, Deepak Malviya, Raj Kumar, Ms. R. Sahoo and others.
This particular FIR is lodged on felonies resorted to in the matter of Gopabandhu Institute of Medical Science and Research (GIMSAR) founded in Madhapur of Athgarh and funded by the SoPS from the income of The Samaja.
The FIR alleges that “Niranjan Rath, Manu Bhai and their other associates presented wrong facts to the society (SoPS) about the operation of GIMSAR and dishonestly got money transferred to GIMSAR accounts for operational expenditure and salaries of the doctors and staff. The direct and indirect expenditure during the period mentioned amount to much over 3 crores ……..Major portion of the operational expenses and salaries claimed from the society through the Samaja accounts has been embezzled, siphoned off and fraudulently claimed and withdrawn”. This is a serious offense in view of the informed fact that “Niranjan Rath (had) hired staff and patients only for the days of inspection by the Government of Orissa and Ministry of Health Affairs to present that the Hospital was functioning with the required staff, equipments and facilities. Hired patients, who were paid, were kept in the Hospital to show the Hospital as functional”.
“Against the approved strength of the lecturers, professors, teachers and staff (as required for running a nursing institution and the hospital that being an institute of medical science and research) Niranjan Rath and his committee members namely Ms. R. Sahoo, Peravash Acharya, Bhimsen, and Deepak Malviya claimed money from Society’s Samaja account; whereas, in fact, there were no such lecturers, professors, teachers and staff ever appointed”, the SoPS authority has informed the Police.
Prof. Tripathy has further informed, “Month after month Niranjan also claimed salaries in cash from the Society’s Samaja account in the name of paying salaries to execute the criminal conspiracy with the ex-general manager Hemanta Sahoo, the present g.m. of Samaja Suresh Mantry and other committee members including Ms. R.Sahoo (Principal, GIMSAR), Pravash Acharya, Bhimsen and Deepak Malviya”.
On being informed by Prof. Tripathy and the Chief Executive Officer hemant Goswami of these dirty deeds, President of SoPS Omkar Chand had written to “all members and the trustees of the society for conducting an inquiry against Niranjan Rath. He had instructed the Treasurer to go to the spot and “physically inspect all the works and expenditures of GIMSAR”. But, the treasurer Deepak malviya “never did so”, the FIR has informed.
As the two top authorities of SoPS – Omkar Chand and Tripathy – appeared very disadvantageous to the miscreants, “Niranjan Rath acting with Bhimsen, Deepak Malviya, Raj Kumar, and manu Bhai started an underground design” against the two authorities “to remove them from their way” in order to escape disciplinary action and in “executing their plans”, they together “fabricated, forged and manipulated the Society minutes of April 24 and 25, 2012 and wrongly claimed that a meeting was held on June 27/28, 2012 wherein Hemant Goswami, Omkar chand and Tripathy have been removed and Manu Bhai has been made the President and Niranjan as overall in-charge of Orissa”. And, “thereafter Niranjan acting along with Ms. R. Sahoo, Pravash Acharya, Bhimsen, Deepak Malviya, Raj Kumar and Manu Bhai took forcible control of all documents and material of the society and destroyed many vouchers and other evidence pointing towards the crime. Many important files have been burnt by Bhimsen and Niranjan Rath and they have also removed many incriminating documents from the Chairman’s chamber by breaking its lock”, Prof. Tripathy has alleged in his FIR.
The predecessor of the present OIC of Khuntuni P.S. had obliterated the FIR containing all these and much more allegations. However, the incumbent OIC has taken cognizance of the matter after obtaining a copy of the FIR, as noted supra, from the S.P. office.
But Police conduct on allegations against this gang in another P.S. i.e. Cantonment Police Station of Cuttack City has sort of similarity with the misconduct of the former OIC of Khuntuni P.S.
On July 5, 2012, Prof. Tripathy’s FIR against nine persons: (1) Manubhai Patel (2) Niranjan Rath (3) Bheemsen Yadav (4) Deepak Malviya (5) Raj Kumar (6) Kirti Bhai (7) Khem Chand (8) Suresh Mantry and (9) Priyavrata Mohanty; and others “not known at present” who have conspired, aided and helped in commission of the offense, was taken into cognizance by the Cantonment P.S. for the penal offenses attracting Section(s) 120-B, 403, 409, 416, 418, 420, 424, 427, 452, 465, 468, 469 of the Indian Penal Code and other provisions as applicable (and for which description is also provided in Sections 23, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29, 43, 44, 120-A, 405, 415, 441, 463, etc. of I.P.C.).
But the Police, having taken cognizance leading to registration of a case against the alleged miscreants has slept over the issue, even though the miscreants have withdrawn the case they had instituted in Orissa High Court for quashing of the FIR.
Has the Cantonment Police been corrupted by the miscreants like the former OIC of Khuntuni P.S. is a question that needs an answer from the Police Commissioner as it is he who was first addressed in the FIR filed by the known authority of SoPS.