NGOs demand action on Pillai-scam

NPRAAF demands CBI probe
Nagaland Public Rights Awareness and Action Forum (NPRAAF) while welcoming the termination of service of M.K.R. Pillai as consultant to DGP Nagaland, however, said removal alone would not solve the larger issue of corruption. In a statement, NPRAAF I&P wing appealed to the chief minister to order CBI probe in order to unearth the entire corrupt nexus.
NPRAAF said there was no need for any ‘Consultant’ in the first place but if it was genuinely needed, then the government could have recruited from amongst the IPS and NPS officers through open competition instead of selecting a “corrupt former police constable.” It described Pillai as “Mother of Corruption and King Broker of Nagaland” who had allegedly jeopardised state police modernisation by siphoning huge amount of money through “percentage deduction” in connivance with top politicians, bureaucrats and police officers.
NPRAAF said it was appalled that in spite of prima facie evidence established against Pillai, he was yet to be arrested. It therefore appealed to the chief minister to give the CBI a free hand in order to unearth the whole truth and to put those involve behind bars.
NPRAAF pointed out that despite receiving hundreds of crore rupees under Police Modernisation, the state police was still ill equipped to control riots. It said the state police also lacked arms and ammunition, tear gas, riot shield, vehicles, rubber bullets etc.
It also maintained that among Non Plan Security Scheme, Nagaland received the highest central fund after Assam in the region. However, in terms of equipment and weaponry Nagaland was the worst equipped though its personnel were second to none, said NPRAAF.
Further, NPRAAF said it will submit a representation to the union home minister, the Central Income Tax department and apprise them about the serious nature of the scam that was exposed in the police department.
NPRAAF said it viewed IT exemption as an encouragement to corruption as no one who was exempt could have assets evaluated that were disproportionate to known sources of income.
BAN seeks thorough probe, Gov’s intervention
Business Association of Nagas (BAN) has lauded the IT raids on firms owned by M.K.R. Pillai in Kerala and Karnataka some thousands of kilometres away from Nagaland and the level of efficiency involved but at the same time, questioned the IT department in Nagaland under whose nose, money was being siphoned off for decades.
BAN through its media cell took strong exception to the Police Headquarters (PHQ) “still being under the spell of Pillai”, by citing statements made by DGP, L.L. Doungel who “was trying to shield PIllai by praising him as ‘quite competent and helpful’ etc. BAN slammed PHQ for being clueless about the Police truck found in Pillai’s home in Kerala. It also said the suo moto case taken up by State Vigilance Commission (SVC) on appointment of Pillai as being “totally unsatisfactory” and an “eyewash” because SVC ignored the entire gamut of Pillai’s role in shady deals, contracts/supplies awarded under table without NIT.