Whistleblower UP cop dumped in asylum

D D Mishra, DIG (Fire Services), who is considered to be an honest and upright officer, levelled serious allegations against the Uttar Pradesh government on Friday and refused to leave his office. Mishra was finally forcibly carried away by some policemen around 10 pm and was taken to a medical college from where he was shifted to the mental ward, even as he kept screaming that he was not mentally ill.

While Mishra’s colleagues said he was mentally sound, a government spokesman claimed the DIG suffered from “bipolar effective disorder” and needed treatment. At a hurriedly convened press conference here on Saturday, Fateh Bahadur Singh, UP’s principal home secretary, who was among officers Mishra levelled allegations against, said an inquiry would be conducted into the allegations. He said DG (anti-corruption) Atul Kumar has been asked to probe the matter.

Mishra had alleged large-scale financial irregularities in purchase of fire tenders. “I have been denied promotion as I opposed the irregularities... I am being humiliated... I may also be killed,” he had told the media, alleging that a senior IAS officer had been killed as he knew “too much” about the scams and could have exposed some very important people. The IPS officer, however, appeared to be “softened” on Saturday and tendered an apology for his utterances, but did not retract his allegations. “They feel that I have some mental problems and so are getting me examined,” he said as he was being taken to the psychiatry ward.

Singh, however, claimed that Mishra was suffering from “depression” for the lst month. “Mishra lost appetite and weight,” Singh said, quoting Mishra’s family members.