Jharkhand DGP faces impersonation charge

New Delhi, May 6: Jharkhand's Director General of Police J B Mahapatra is being probed for ''misusing'' the perks of an office he demitted more than six months before to avail of free rail passes for himself and his family members.

He is charged with availing free rail travel facility -- available to him in his previous capacity as Director General (Rail) in the state.

State BJP leader Saryu Rai has accused DGP JB Mahapatra of ''impersonating'' as DG (Rail) to claim the benefits of free Rail Passes. Taking cognisance, the Central Vigilance Commission has ordered the Railway Board to probe Rai's documented allegations, CVC sources said.

The DGP has preferred defending his deed to denying -- lending credibility to the allegations against him.

According to the petition before the CVC, DGP Mahapatra availed free railway passes for his family ''impersonating'' as the DG (Rail) -- a post he occupied between June 30, 2005 and December 31, 2005.

Thereafter, Mahapatra was appointed Chairman of the Jharkhand Police Housing Corporation.

The official position is that the State Government had issued a notification creating a ''shadow post'' of DG and IGP under the nomenclature of DG (Rail) for a period between June 30, 2005 and December 31, 2005 only.

However, the DGP secured and availed free railway passes in 2006 even after he ceased to remain the DG (Rail).

DGP Mahapatra, in his defence, maintains that he continued to be DG (Rail) in 2006. On the other hand, the allegation against him is that in the absence of another specific notification renewing the post, the post of DG (Rail) would cease to exist after December 31, 2005.

BJP leader Rai has, therefore, contended that DGP Mahapatra could not have been DG (Rail) when -- between April 12, 2006 and July 4, 2006 -- he claimed benefits of 32 free railway passes using letter heads of DG (Rail).

''It is impersonation'', he has further alleged.

UNI