Rajasthan turfs out man who fought corruption

‘‘They really left me with no choice,’’ says Singh, confessing that the Bunkar Sangh, where he works as an assistant manager, has broken his spirit. ‘‘I didn’t suffer suspension and humiliation just to go back to working in the same system. Moreover, my presence in the organisation was beginning to affect my co-workers and I didn’t want to be responsible for their problems in any way.’’

So he put in his papers. His 10-page letter reads pretty much like his booklet, titled Naukari Karni Hai to Brashtachar Karna Hoga. While he takes full responsibility for his resignation, he refuses to absolve the public sector undertaking of its role.

‘‘The cloth mafia has completely taken over the Sangh, which was created to help poor weavers in the state,’’ Singh says, reading from his letter. ‘‘Today, the Sangh is not buying any cloth from the weaver. Instead we are expected to buy from rich cloth traders and sell it through the Sangh. Of course, a lot of commission changes hands.’’

In the May judgment, the high court stated: ‘‘The suspension of Shri Suraj Bhan Singh, assistant manager of Bunkar Sangh, is wholly unjustified. He has dared to expose the corruption prevalent in the Bunkar Sangh, amongst its officers and for this conduct he has been chargesheeted and placed under suspension… This way of dealing with the officer who has dared and shown courage to expose the corruption in the Sangh may not be in larger public interest.’’

Recently appointed managing director of the Sangh, K.K. Mittal agrees but adds that things are not as simple as they seem. ‘‘We are examining the letter and are doing it with an open mind,’’ he says. ‘‘We will also take legal opinion on the matter and keep in mind the person’s past record. But we will ensure that justice is done.’’

Singh says he has waited long enough for justice, 15 years to be precise.

His story begins in 1989 when he joined the Sangh after a diploma in textile manufacturing and designing. It took him five years to figure out the system and after years of ‘‘seeing and being corrupted,’’ he penned down everything in a book, hoping it would clean up the system.

To avoid retribution, he set the book in the 1800s and created fictional names. But everyone who read it felt that the story was all about the present, of ‘‘corrupt officials forcing their juniors to tell lies and be corrupt.’’ His superiors thought so to and he was suspended.

‘‘This was despite the fact that I had asked for proper permission before releasing the booklet,’’ Singh says, adding that his worries about his family’s future don’t let him sleep at night.

Starting with stories of ‘‘small corruption involving just Rs 47,000’’ to crores, Singh talks of bungling at all levels. Officials of the Sangh are not amused and have charged Singh with misusing his office, bypassing his organizational heads and not doing his job. Tired, Singh has just quit and is waiting for the Sangh to accept his resignation.