"Forced me to sign..." another officer in Delhi accuses minister Saurabh Bhardwaj of intimidation

Amid an uproar over the services issue in the national capital boiling since the Supreme Court's May 11 order, a fresh letter from Special (Services) Secretary Kinny Singh surfaced on Friday, accusing Delhi Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj of intimidating him and his fellow bureaucrats.

Amid an uproar over the services issue in the national capital boiling since the Supreme Court's May 11 order, a fresh letter from Special (Services) Secretary Kinny Singh surfaced on Friday, accusing Delhi Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj of intimidating him and his fellow bureaucrats. The 2014-batch IAS officer Kinny Singh, in his letter dated May 16, alleged that Saurabh Bhardwaj called him to his chamber, where another bureaucrat Ashish More was already present, and forced him to sign on a paper.

"Today on May 16 at 1.20 pm, I went to the Hon'ble Minister, Services [Saurabh Bhardwaj] chamber because I was called by his PA and former Secretary Services Ashish More is already sitting in the Office. After reaching there, the minister asked about the files he had asked to be sent to his office," the letter read. "I submitted that in pursuance of the minister's directions, one file of Transfer posting and CSB minutes related to the concerned period has already been shown. I also informed him that the concerned branch and officials have been instructed to give all files. It was also submitted that a few transfer orders and CSB Minutes were also shown to the minister in the morning. The minister asked for a particular file related to the TSR Subramanian judgement and the constitution of CSB in Delhi. I informed that I got this information from a branch that as the charge of Services-I is with YVVJ Rajashekhar the concerned file is with YVVJ Rajashekhar," it added.

Singh in his letter added that upon hearing this Bhardwaj asked why all the files are with Rajashekhar and why the copy of the Notification is not kept anywhere else in any other file. "Then the minister told me also to sit there and then called Amitabh Joshi, Deputy Secretary (Services-I). As soon as he came, the minister shouted over him and reprimanded him. He asked him to immediately bring all the concerned files and till then, both the Secretary, Special Secretary should remain to be seated in front of him," the letter read.

"After a while, Joshi brought some files and gave them to the Bhardwaj and kept them on his table. The minister asked about the file with the Notification of the constitution of CSB which was notified/issued. Joshi told that this file is with Rajashekhar Special Secretary-I (Services). Then the minister got very angry and handed over a white paper to Joshi and asked him to write what he has dictated verbally. Bhardwaj dictated that only one copy of the Notification of the constitution of CSB is available and the concerned file is with Rajashekhar. Then he asked Joshi to sign the statement dictated by the minister," it added. Kinny Singh further said that, thereafter, Saurabh Bhardwaj asked him and More also to sign the same statement.

He said that upon hearing Ashish More's response, the minister got furious and shouted at him and threatened him with dire consequences. "Sign Kar, Aise Kaise Sign Nahi Karega..Tere Ko Karna Hi Padega. Iss Ke Baad Tera Career Khatana Teri Toh Zindagi Barbaad Kar Ke Rakhunga. Issi Dilli... Chirag Dilli Ka Rehne Wala Hu," he quoted minister Saurabh Bhardwaj as saying.

However, earlier this month, in a complaint to the LG, former services secretary More also complained that Bharadwaj intimidated and detained him along with another official Kinny Singh in his office over some files. More alleged that the minister forced him to sign a paper and when he did not do so, Bharadwaj threatened him with dire consequences, saying that his career will be completely ruined.

Kinny Singh said that a copy of this letter has also been sent to Principal Secretary to Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena. (ANI)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)