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HP Vigilance arrests Director Health Services

SHIMLA: Amid COVID-19 spread and unexpected spike in the cases, Himachal Pradesh was rocked by serious corruption charges involving state's Director Health Services (DHS) Dr Ajay Gupta, who was arrested on Thursday after an audio-clip relating to financial transaction worth Rs 5 lakh went viral.

State's vigilance and Anti-Corruption bureau team led by Shalini Agnihotri, a young IPS officer, also raided the Gupta's office early morning and conducted searches at his residence, besides taking his mobile in custody. In the audio-clip (appoxi 47-seconds) conversation pur-portedly between Gupta and a senior representative of a firm, which was handling supplies of medicines and other materials to the health department during COVID-19 crisis have come as a bombshell compelling Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur to order a vigilance probe.

Curiously portfolio of health and family welfare is with Chief Minister ever- since Vipin Singh Parmar had become Speaker quitting his cabinet post. He declared, "We will not spare anyone. The vigilance is investing the case. One person has already been arrested," said Thakur when asked about the corruption case.

Additional Director General of Police (Vigilance) Anurag Garg said, "After getting orders from the Additional Chief Secretary (Health) R D Dhiman on Wednesday evening, the investigation team was constituted for investigations. Director Health Services was summoned to the HQs of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau on Wednesday night.

During the interrogation, he failed to give any convincing reply on material evidence, thus was arrested, said Garg. The vigilance and anti–corruption Bureau had already accessed the call detail records of Gupta. He was evasive on financial transactions and took excuse of not remembering much about the kind of relationship with the firm supplying the materials and medicines.

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