Early Times Report
Jammu, Mar 29: As the blunder of providing all protocols to the Gujarat-based fraudster has snowballed into a big political issue, the UT administration on Wednesday asked Divisional Commissioner Kashmir to conduct an inquiry into the “goof up”.
J&K administration has taken seriously how a fraudster managed to travel around the Union territory as a VVIP, with Z-plus-equivalent security cover. He was also provided access to some of the most strategically sensitive locations in J&K.
Opposition parties have been criticizing the authorities for providing all protocols including Z-Plus security to a conman of Gujarat who impersonated himself as a senior officer in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Vijay Kumar Bidhuri is appointed as the inquiry officer to probe various aspects related to the visits of Gujarat conman to Kashmir.
According to an order, the inquiry officer has been asked to identify the lapses on part of the officers concerned. The officer has been asked to submit the inquiry report within a week.
“Sanction is hereby accorded to the appointment of Vijay Kumar Bidhuri, IAS, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, as Inquiry Officer to inquire into the various aspects related to the visits of Kiran Patel to Kashmir during the past months and security arrangements made thereof. The Inquiry Officer shall identify the lapses on the part of the Officers/ Officials concerned and submit a detailed report within one week,” reads the order issued by R K Goel, Financial Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary of J&K Government.
For several months, Dr. Kiran J Patel managed to hoodwink the Jammu & Kashmir police and civil administration by impersonating himself as the Additional Director (Strategy & Campaign) in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
According to reports, during four visits between October 2022 and March 2023, he travelled around the Union territory as a VVIP, with Z-plus-equivalent security cover, including bulletproof vehicles, gunmen, and escort vehicles.
Without verifying his credentials from higher-ups, he was also provided access to some of the most strategically sensitive locations in J&K, including Uri near the Line of Control, where he clicked pictures, made reels, and posted them on social media.
He stayed at five-star properties, took “briefings” from officers, and met business owners across districts.
The cheater also met at least two Deputy Commissioners during his visit to the valley.
According to reports, Patel was put under surveillance by J&K Police after inputs and alerts from New Delhi and the CID in Srinagar about his suspicious movement towards the end of February. He was trapped and arrested in Srinagar on his fourth visit.
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah has attacked J&K Government over alleged conman Kiran Patel, arrested for impersonating as a government official in the union territory, and asked how a government that got ‘tricked’ by an imposter, is expected to resolve issues of the valley.
Criticizing the government over its failure to check the credentials of the fraudster, Abdullah said this was possible because the J&K administration is an imposed one and not an elected one.
“You must have seen that a man came here and told the government here that he works in the PMO (Prime Minister’s Office), they didn’t even try to find out.
We have a colleague, an ex-minister who faced attacks & doesn’t get an escort vehicle even if he requests one with folded hands. This is the difference between an elected government and a government imposed from the top,” he said. |
