“The applicant was shocked after perusing the record of Treasury receipts which reveals that out of 3525 Treasury receipts, only about 1054 Treasury receipts have been prepared at Treasury Reasi, whereas rest about 2471 receipts have been prepared at various Treasuries outside the District Reasi”
K Koushal
In a startling development, a massive scam related to the issuance of gun licenses has been unveiled in Jammu and Kashmir, involving high-ranking IAS officer in the process. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been formally approached by a whistleblower who has submitted compelling documentary evidence to instigate an in-depth investigation into the matter.
“It has been revealed that a substantial number of gun licenses were granted under dubious circumstances, with fraudulent names and fabricated documents allegedly being employed in the process. Shockingly, these licenses were not confined to Jammu and Kashmir but were allegedly distributed to individuals hailing from different states and Union Territories across the country,” reads the complaint, adding that the allegations have arisen that Deputy Commissioners, vested with the authority to approve these gun licenses, colluded with middlemen, agents, and brokers to orchestrate this illicit operation.
According to a complaint submitted by the whistleblower (a copy of which is in possession of The Typewriter), the information at hand suggests that an estimated two lakh gun licenses were reportedly issued from the year 2012 onwards. The CBI is already probing the involvement of numerous Deputy Commissioners, public servants, brokers, and agents in connection with the scam from 2012 to 2016.
The whistleblower pointed out that G. Prasanna Ramaswamy, IAS, a prominent officer from the 2010 batch, has been linked to the scandal. He served as the Deputy Commissioner in Leh, Ladakh, from September 2015 to September 2017 and later in Reasi from September 2017 to November 2018. The whistleblower’s complaint indicates that attempts were made to seek information through Right to Information (RTI) applications regarding Ramaswamy’s involvement, but the General Administration Department claimed to have not received any FIRs or reports against him.
“It has also come to my knowledge that CBI has arrested some of the then Deputy Commissioners, Public servants, touts/agents/brokers/ middle men which were found involved in the above said scam and even many raids at different locations of officers and co-accused were conducted to seize the records which includes the premises of G. Prasanna Ramaswamy, IAS who was Licensing Authority of District Reasi w.e.f 15.09.2017 to 12.11.2018. But thereafter his name never surfaced in any place,” whistleblower asserted, adding, “G. Prasanna Ramaswamy, is among those named in connection with this scandal. He served as Deputy Commissioner in Leh, Ladakh from September 2015 to September 2017 and later in Reasi from September 2017 to November 2018.”
The applicant through the medium of an RTI approached the Public Information Officer, Deputy Commissioner Office, Reasi with request to provide certain information about the issuance of Gun Licenses, their fee receipts/Treasury receipts and posting period details of Mr Ramaswamy as Deputy Commissioner Reasi. It was informed that Mr Ramaswamy, remained posted as Deputy Commissioner, Reasi w.e.f 15.09.2017 to 12.11.2018 (about 14 months).
The complaint outlines a series of events where the involvement of G. Prasanna Ramaswamy, is scrutinized. “It was revealed through the RTI responses that during his tenure as Deputy Commissioner of Reasi, 3,239 gun licenses were issued, and 366 licenses were renewed,” reads the complaint adding that the whistleblower received photocopies of 3,525 Treasury receipts. However, an astonishing revelation emerged that only a fraction of these receipts were actually prepared and deposited at the Reasi Treasury, while the majority were issued from various other districts and locations.
Further suspicion was cast when it was observed that a large number of these receipts bore the same handwriting, even though they were from different locations. This suggests the potential collusion between officials and middlemen, as a single person seems to have deposited fees in bulk.
“The applicant was shocked after perusing the record of these Treasury receipts which reveals that out of 3525 Treasury receipts, only about 1054 Treasury receipts have been prepared at Treasuries in district Reasi, whereas the rest about 2471 receipts have been prepared at various Treasuries outside the District Reasi viz. Shastri Nagar, Jammu/ Gandhi Nagar, Jammu/ Town Hall, Jammu/ New Plot, Jammu/ R.S Pura, Jammu/Akhnoor, Jammu/ Vijaypur, Samba/ Udhampur/ Sunderbani, Rajouri. Even in many cases the full particulars i.e. Parentage and full address is not mentioned in the receipts,” stated the whistleblower in the complaint, adding that the most surprisingly maximum receipts including the Treasury receipts issued from even Reasi are bearing the same hand writings (Bank/Treasury vice), which can be seen from the naked eye.
Complaint reads, this shows itself that these licenses were issued in league with the officials and the touts, as the fee has been deposited in bulk by a single person only. It is also unbelievable that persons who are residing in Reasi and applying for Gun License to Deputy Commissioner, Reasi would come in other districts for depositing of requisite fee/Treasury Challans. This also creates suspicion of establishment that the processing of these licenses has taken place at Jammu and everything has been done at Jammu and for this aspect it is also required to be investigated/probed from National Informatics Centre (N.I.C) that from where the process of these Gun licenses have been initiated, verified and approved on Portal and which I.P and computer system has been used for login ids of the then concerned clerks for initiating process and Deputy Commissioner, Reasi (G. Prasanna Ramaswamy, IAS) for approving these Licenses.
The whistleblower alleges the possibility of fake names and documents being used for these licenses, as many of the Treasury receipts lack complete and accurate details. The complaint also calls for an examination of the role of G. Prasanna Ramaswamy during his tenure as Deputy Commissioner in Leh, Ladakh, to determine if a similar modus operandi was used there.
“The implications of this scandal are far-reaching, as the sensitive nature of the issue directly impacts national security. The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has a history of militancy, and the potential misuse of these firearms could pose a serious threat to the region’s stability,” reads the complaint.
The whistleblower’s complaint emphasizes the urgency of the situation and calls on the CBI to investigate the matter under various sections of the law, including the Prevention of Corruption Act, the Indian Penal Code, and the Arms Act, in order to bring the alleged wrongdoers to justice.
Talking to The Typewriter, G. Prasanna Ramaswamy said that these are mere allegations with some ‘vested’ interests. “Well it is a baseless allegation. If it is a scam then some investigation should show it to be so. What investigation has been concluded in this regard,” questioned. He added, “It is just an intimidation tactic by some very corrupt people to try to derail the reform process underway in the Motor Vehicle Department. I have nothing else to say.”
Despite repeated attempts, Vidyut Vikash, Superintendent of Police- CBI could not be contacted.
