JAIPUR: The Anti-corruption Bureau (ACB) of Rajasthan has arrested Rajaram Gurjar, husband of suspended Jaipur Greater Municipal Corporation mayor Somya Gurjar in a corruption case on Tuesday. The agency had initiated a probe against Rajaram and BVG India Limited after a video showing him negotiating a Rs 20 crore commission deal with a representative of the company went viral on social media. A company representative, identified as Omkar, has also been arrested by the ACB.
Significantly, a senior functionary ( Pracharak) of the RSS, Nimba Ram, has also been named in the FIR registered by the ACB as his supportive presence has prima facie been confirmed in this case when the dubious deal was being discussed. Besides the case against the main accused, the ACB has booked Nimba Ram under sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act 2018 and under section 120B of the IPC. Nimba Ram was also seen in a video where the Mayor’s husband purportedly demands a hefty bribe for the release of the pending payment to BVG company.
The ACB action comes just a day after the Rajasthan High Court had upheld Mayor Somya Gurjar’s suspension.
In the video that had gone viral over a fortnight ago, Rajaram Gurjar was seen allegedly trying to strike a deal with a garbage collection company that is to be given a payment of 276 crores. He was seen asking for 10% commission for the release of the large payment. However, in an official statement, the company had refuted the allegations.
The ACB had sent the video for a forensic examination. DG ACB BL Soni said that the video clips were also sent to a prestigious lab outside Rajasthan for analysis. “After getting the report from both the labs, we have arrested Rajaram Gurjar and Omkar. The investigation is going on against Nimba Ram and other accused persons under 120B of IPC and relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act,” Soni said.
ACB sources say that Nimba Ram may soon be called for interrogation.
The BJP had said that the entire video is a conspiracy to malign the RSS and BJP but the Gehlot government had insisted that it will get to the bottom of this mess and bring out the truth through the ACB probe. With the mayor’s husband being arrested and an RSS leader in the dock through the ACB action, this sensational case could greatly stir politics in Rajasthan.