Vested elements trying to break me down psychologically:Khemka

Senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka, who had kicked up a political storm alleging irregularities in businessman Robert Vadra-DLF land deals, today alleged that vested elements were at work to mentally harass him and break him down psychologically.

"They want to harass me. They want to break me down psychologically," the 1991-batch IAS officer alleged.

He claimed that vested elements had the support of some mandarins in the government as he had exposed alleged land scams during his previous postings.
The officer also referred to the complaint lodged against him by a kin of an employee,
who was allegedly dismissed by him during one of his postings six years back.

The kin had recently complained to the DGP that her husband had gone missing and may have attempted suicide.

Later, Khemka had sought an in-depth probe to find out if a conspiracy was being hatched by some elements to provoke people to lodge complaint against him.

"The complaint was lodged saying I was responsible for the man having gone missing...they (the elements are behind this and) want to break my morale and want to shatter me," he alleged.

After cancelling the mutation of the land deal, he had received a number of threat calls, Khemka said.

Khemka, who is currently posted as Managing Director of the Haryana Seed Development Corporation (HSDC), today held a meeting under heavy police security at Panchkula with the union employees of the department in the wake of allegations against some employees regarding seed theft and other issues.

The meeting, during which 30-35 Haryana police constables were deployed by the government for security, and which also saw presence of some mediapersons, was held in a cordial atmosphere, the IAS officer said.

He said that he had on January 31 written a letter to Chief Secretary P K Chaudhery, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Chattar Singh and HSDC Chairman and Principal Secretary (Agriculture) Roshan Lal bringing to their notice that he had information that some union leaders (of HSDC) were likely to create trouble for personal reasons as some office bearers had been chargesheeted for theft.

He had mentioned that as per the feedback he had got, he might be attacked and harmed if security was not provided for today's meeting.

Khemka had also feared that today's meeting between the management and the
HSDC Employees' Union might witness violence if security was not provided.

His letter had expressed apprehension that today's meeting might be as violent as last year's incident at Maruti Suzuki plant at Manesar, in which a senior executive of the car maker was killed and several persons were injured.

Asked how he had apprehended that he may be attacked in today's meeting, the IAS officer told PTI, "I had got the feedback from field units and some well meaning employees who warned me about the possibility of such a thing.

"They told me that there were mandarins in the government who had put their weight behind such elements (who want to harm Khemka). I was told that I may be slapped, thrashed or someone may grab my collar (during the meeting). These mandarins thought if I get manhandled, they will enjoy," Khemka said.

He claimed that as per his feedback, some union leaders had visited a minister and also a "very senior officer at the Chief Minister's office".

Khemka alleged that the motive of the vested elements was to get even with him for exposures of land scams in his earlier posting in the Department of Land Records and Consolidation and Holdings.

On the alleged irregularities relating to Robert Vadra-DLF land deals, Khemka said the officers of the government had earlier given "clean chit" in the issue, "without even bothering to contact me or hear my side".

Khemka was shifted from the Director General Consolidation of Land Holdings and Land Records-cum-Inspector General of Registration to the Seed Development Corporation shortly after he initiated a probe into the land dealings between Vadra and realty giant DLF.