MANGALDAI, June 15 - A senior official of the Excise Department in the rank of Superintendent has been availing unauthorised leave for over two months now, that too after being accused in a case filed under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The accused Superintendent of Excise is virtually absconding from the net of police to avoid imminent arrest. Significantly, the Excise Department or the State Government is yet to initiate any disciplinary action on this absconding official who is on unauthorised leave.
The absconding official, Jagannath Bora, was serving as the Excise Superintendent at Udalguri with the dual charge of Darrang district. On March 20 last, the accused Jagannath Bora, accompanied by one Executive Magistrate and one Excise Inspector and a team taking the plea of carrying out raids as per the instructions of the Election Commission of India, entered a wine shop at Tangla in Udalguri district and demanded a huge amount threatening to take strict action on the wine shop. Finding no alternative, the owner of the wine shop paid the amount to the Superintendent of Excise. But lady luck was not in favour of the officer. His presence at the wine shop and the incident of demanding and taking money from the owner of the wine shop was recorded in the CCTV.
The owner filed an FIR at Tangla Police Station along with the footage of the CCTV and accordingly the Tangla Police registered a case vide number 33/16 under Section 384 of IPC read with Section 7/13 (i)/(B) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Since the filing of the FIR, the accused Superintendent of Excise has reportedly gone missing without availing any official leave. The police has conducted raids at his residence at Tinsukia several times but had to return empty handed as his house was found under lock and key. The district administration and the police meanwhile have officially communicated with the Excise department of BTC, Excise Commissioner and the State Government. But no disciplinary action has been initiated against the official as yet, sources said.
