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Louis Berger case: Assam CM ready for any probe
Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Wednesday said he was ready for any inquiry into his role in the Louis Berger kickbacks scam.
In a statement, he dared union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Sarbananda Sonowal to find out from the home ministry who received kickbacks from the Louis Berger company in the Guwahati water supply project.
Reacting to reports appearing in a section of the media which cited Sonowal as alleging Gogoi’s involvement in the Louis Berger kickbacks scam, Gogoi said he was open to any inquiry.
“I will resign if my involvement is proved right and Sonowal should resign if his allegations are proved baseless,” he stated.
Former Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was holding the Guwahati development department portfolio when Louis Berger was selected as consultant for the Guwahati water supply project, being implemented by the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority with funds received from the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
The scam came to the fore after the US Department of Justice found Louis Berger guilty of paying bribes to Indian officials, including ministers, for water supply projects in Goa and Guwahati.
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What monkey fled with a bag containing evidence in it: Read full story
The court, generally, considers a person who commit a crime and the one who destroys the evidence, as criminals in the eyes of law. But what if an animal destroys the evidence of a crime committed by a human.
In a peculiar incident in Rajasthan, a monkey fled away with the evidence collected by the police in a murder case. The stolen evidence included the murder weapon (a blood-stained knife).
The incident came to light when the police appeared before the court and they had to provide the evidence in the hearing.
The hearing was about the crime which took place in September 2016, in which a person named Shashikant Sharma died at a primary health center under Chandwaji police station. After the body was found, the deceased’s relatives blocked the Jaipur-Delhi highway, demanding an inquiry into the matter.
Following the investigation, the police had arrested Rahul Kandera and Mohanlal Kandera, residents of Chandwaji in relation to the murder. But, when the time came to produce the evidence related to the case, it was found that the police had no evidence with them because a monkey had stolen it from them.
In the court, the police said that the knife, which was the primary evidence, was also taken by the monkey. The cops informed that the evidence of the case was kept in a bag, which was being taken to the court.
The evidence bag contained the knife and 15 other important evidences. However, due to the lack of space in the malkhana, a bag full of evidence was kept under a tree, which led to the incident.