Sanjeev Hans Removed as Principal Secretary of Energy Department Amid Gang Rape and Corruption Allegations

Chirag Gupta

Patna: The Bihar government has removed Senior IAS Sanjeev Hans from his position as Principal Secretary of the Energy Department. He will remain without a post while the Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigates allegations of gang rape and disproportionate assets against him. The charge of the Energy Department has been handed over to IAS Sandeep Paundrik, a 1993 batch officer, who will also oversee the power companies as CMD.

A notification from the General Administration Department confirms Hans’s removal and states he will now contribute to the General Administration Department, though his specific role is unspecified. This reassignment follows an 11-day delay after the ED raided Hans’s government residence, office, and other locations on July 20. The raids uncovered documents indicating significant financial transactions with other state officials, leading to further scrutiny.

The ED conducted searches across four cities, uncovering evidence of black money and improper dealings with several IAS officers. During the gang rape investigation, Patna Police found substantial evidence of financial misconduct. These findings prompted vigilance actions, revealing documents that point to transactions with other high-ranking officials. The ED’s raid on Hans and former MLA Gulab Yadav resulted in the seizure of significant documents.

Patna Police discovered that the gang rape victim was forced to undergo multiple abortions before eventually giving birth to a child. In an attempt to manage the situation, two crore rupees were invested in the child’s name through a property dealer in Allahabad. Evidence of large financial transactions, including five crore rupees supposedly given for purchasing property and vehicles, was found in the victim’s account, raising further questions about the source of these funds.

Witness Sunil Sinha provided critical testimony, detailing black money dealings and expensive gifts, including a resort in Chandigarh purchased for 95 crore rupees and a Mercedes car. The SSP’s report, based on Sinha’s statement, mentioned black money transactions in exchange for work, implicating Hans in extensive corruption. This report was sent to the Special Vigilance Unit, which spurred additional investigations and raids.

Further investigations revealed connections between Hans and a hawala network, with the gang rape victim providing documents and transaction records. The victim became a key informant, offering evidence of transactions and properties purchased in Prayagraj and other locations. The ED also identified business dealings between Hans’s wife, Navneet, and Gulab Yadav’s wife, MLC Ambika, including significant investments in land and property in Delhi and Pune.

As evidence mounts, the ED is scrutinizing transactions and gifts involving other IAS officers and their spouses. Sources indicate that several officers are under investigation for their involvement in these dealings, and future actions may include significant penalties. Foreign watches worth lakhs of rupees, for which no documentation was found, were also seized from Hans’s residence, adding to the evidence of unexplained wealth.

The investigation into Hans’s activities has revealed a complex network of corruption, involving large-scale financial transactions and improper use of funds. The ED and other investigative agencies are now working to unravel the full extent of this network, with potential ramifications for many high-ranking officials in Bihar.