Water Minister Kapil Mishra was questioned on Monday by the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) in relation to his alleged involvement in the Rs. 400 crore water tanker scam in the Delhi Jal Board.
Mr. Mishra visited the anti-graft unit’s office in response to a notice issued to him seeking his presence at its office in North Delhi at 11 a.m. The Minister said he was questioned by a team of personnel from the ACB that included a Deputy Commissioner of Police, two Assistant Commissioners of Police and three Inspectors.
May be summoned again
A senior official privy to the proceedings said the inquiries made of Mr. Mishra pertained only to his alleged involvement in being party to the suppression of the fact-finding committee’s report on the said scam and that he “could” be summoned again.
Mr. Mishra termed the day’s proceedings a “desperate” attempt to wean information “against CM Arvind Kejriwal” and risking “facing the anger of Modi ji” if they didn’t.
The Minister said that midway in the inquiry, the senior officers quizzing him were suddenly “called to the room of Mr. Meena, head of the ACB, where they held a meeting for 30 minutes”.
After the meeting, the officials were “ready with five new set of questions” focussing on “only” him and his tenure.
Mr. Mishra said that this line of questioning happened despite the fact that his report on the scam had focussed heavily on the role of former CM Sheila Diskhit, during whose stint the scam is alleged to have been perpetrated.
‘No one had read report’
“Funniest and weirdest part of entire investigation was when I asked seven people sitting in the room enquiring me, whether they have even read the 125-page report sent by me against Shiela Dikshit, except one person, who was junior-most in the team, no one had read the report. They themselves admitted it to me (Sic.),” Mr. Mishra said.
