Anti-Corruption Bureau grills Kejriwal’s private secretary in water tanker scam

The Anti-Corruption Branch on Wednesday grilled Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s private secretary in connection with alleged Rs 400 crore tanker scam.

Last week, the anti-graft body had summoned Bibhav Kumar who joined the investigation on Wednesday.

A senior official informed that Kumar arrived at 11.30 AM for the questioning at the ACB office.

Kumar was asked to bring some files and they have been examined.

Earlier, the ACB had recorded sacked Delhi minister Kapil Mishra’s detailed statement last week and he will be questioned on certain points on Thursday.

Mishra had alleged that Kejriwal had influenced the probe into the tanker scam that dates back to Sheila Dikshit’s tenure as chief minister.

The sacked minister also claimed that Kejriwal’s aide had asked him to delay sending of a few reports to the then Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung in connection with the alleged scam, sources said.

Mishra had alleged that the investigation into the tanker scam was repeatedly delayed and influenced by Kejriwal and “his two men”.

Last year in August, Dikshit was “examined” by the ACB officials in connection with her alleged involvement in the tanker scam besides being handed over a set of 18 written questions.

Also Read | Water tanker scam: After making graft charges against Kejriwal, Kapil Mishra names two others

Till some time back, Mishra had been accusing the BJP of shielding Dikshit in the case but a couple of weeks back, he alleged that the AAP government tried to protect her.

The Kejriwal-led AAP government had in June 2015 constituted a fact-finding committee to go into alleged irregularities in procuring some 385 stainless steel water tankers by the DJB.

The Delhi government in June 2016 sent a report of the fact-finding committee to Jung following which an FIR was registered in the case. (With PTI Inputs)

Also Read | Water tanker scam: PM Modi can't scare me with FIR, says Kejriwal