Raipur
The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has filed a 4,500-page chargesheet against 14 individuals, including a Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), in connection with the Rs 7 crore tendupatta incentive payment scam. The chargesheet was submitted on Tuesday to the Special Court (Prevention of Corruption Act) in Dantewada.
The accused, including DFO Ashok Kumar Patel of Sukma Forest Division, are charged under sections 409, 467, 468, 471, 120B of the Indian Penal Code, and sections 13(1)(a) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018).
The EOW investigation revealed that Ashok Kumar Patel, while serving as a public servant, misused his position in collusion with other forest department officials, managers, and nurturing officers of various primary minor forest produce committees. They allegedly conspired to embezzle a large portion of the tendupatta incentive payments, amounting to approximately Rs 7 crore, meant for collectors during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. They are accused of creating forged documents and using them as genuine.
So far, the investigation has focused on eight remote committees out of 17, unearthing an embezzlement of Rs 3,92,05,362, causing significant financial loss to the state government.
The 14 accused include:
- Ashok Kumar Patel (DFO)
- Four forest workers/nurturing officers: Chaituram Baghel, Devnath Bhardwaj, Manish Kumar Barse, and Podiyami Hidma
- Nine committee managers: Payam Satyanarayana alias Shatru, Mohammad Sharif, C.H. Ramana (Chitturi), Sunil Nuppo, Ravi Kumar (Ravi Kumar Gupta), Aytu Korsa, Manoj Kawasi, Rajshekhar Puranik alias Raju, and B. Sanjay Reddy
Tendupatta collection is a crucial livelihood for the residents of the Naxal-affected and tribal-dominated Bastar region. The EOW conducted inquiries with villagers in remote and inaccessible areas such as Madai Gurha, Gopalpalli, Kistaram, Jagargunda, Chintalnar, Chintagufa, Bhejji, Konta, and Polempalli. Villagers expressed unawareness about the bonus scheme and provided significant evidence for the case. Investigations into the remaining nine committees are ongoing.
