Bihar: District Education Officer of West Champaran Suspended Over Allegations of Corruption and Misconduct
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Synopsis
In a decisive move, the Bihar Education Department has suspended Rajnikant Praveen, District Education Officer of West Champaran, following serious allegations of corruption. The suspension comes after substantial cash and property documents were seized during raids by the State Vigilance Unit.
Key Takeaways
- Bihar Education Department suspends Rajnikant Praveen.
- Raids by State Vigilance Unit reveal substantial illegal wealth.
- Praveen accumulated assets under the Disproportionate Assets Act.
- Raids conducted at four premises linked to Praveen.
- Potential career implications and ongoing investigations.
Patna, Jan 23 (NationPress) The Bihar Education Department has promptly acted on allegations of corruption against Rajnikant Praveen, the District Education Officer of West Champaran, suspending him immediately.
This decision follows the recovery of a significant amount of cash and property documents during raids executed by the State Vigilance Unit (SVU) at four locations associated with the official in West Champaran on Thursday.
An official stated that the SVU has filed an FIR under the Disproportionate Assets (DA) Act against him after the raids.
The evidence indicates that Praveen has amassed considerable illegal wealth, both movable and immovable, from 2005 to the present.
The raiding team confiscated Rs 2 crore from his residence in Bettiah.
“Praveen is confronted with grave charges of corruption and misconduct. The department has opted to suspend him and will assign him to a different role during the ongoing investigation,” an education department officer remarked.
“Currently, departmental procedures are being initiated against him under the Bihar Government Servant (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 2005. Throughout this suspension, Praveen will continue to receive a subsistence allowance, disbursed from his designated headquarters,” he added.
This incident could adversely affect Praveen's career and reputation.
The discovery of a significant amount of cash further underscores the magnitude of his alleged corruption. The vigilance team, having arrived from Patna, launched operations early on Thursday.
A major raid took place at Praveen’s home in the Vasant Vihar area, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Mufassil police station.
With a substantial amount of cash found, a note-counting machine was brought in to count the recovered currency. Reports suggest that Praveen and his family possess land and properties valued in crores across cities like Patna, Darbhanga, Madhubani, and Muzaffarpur.
Praveen is an officer from the 45th batch of the Bihar Education Service, having entered the service in 2005.
Throughout his career, he has worked as an Education Officer in Darbhanga, Samastipur, and various other districts in Bihar. He boasts a total service record of around 19-20 years.
