Chaos at Secretariat as CBI raid catches babus off guard

Confusion prevailed at Delhi Secretariat on Tuesday morning as CBI officers sealed the entire third floor that houses Chief Minister’s Office and a large police contingent surrounded the building.

Nobody knew what was going on. Even the Chief Minister Office had no idea about the raid. “We don’t know what time the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team entered the premises of the Delhi Secretariat,” said Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.

The first person who came to know about the raid in the Aam Aadmi Party government was its media advisor. “He was not allowed to enter the Chief Minister Office at around 10 am. He was told that it was a CBI raid,” added Sisodia.

The third floor which houses the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) was sealed and nobody was allowed in or out, alleged Sisodia. “Those who were inside the office were not allowed to go out and those who were out, were not allowed in. I am categorically saying that the Chief Minister’s office was seized.

The office which houses files that are signed by the CM as well as the court affidavits was sealed by the CBI team,” Sisodia Minister said.

But the CBI said that they raided the office of Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Rajendra Kumar on allegations of corruption.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal did not turn up at his office at the Delhi Secretariat on Tuesday. He held a cabinet meeting at Sisodia’s house in the evening.

When the raid was going on officials remained tight-lipped. “None of us knows what is going on,” said an official.

After the raid was over in the evening, officials started opening up. “Many of us thought the CBI sleuths could come to our floor and raid our departments. We were mentally prepared for the raid,” said an official.

“Some of my counterparts were busy arranging files in order in case their departments are raided. We were puzzled as to which departments are being looked into,” added another official.

Police personnel wearing yellow helmets and carrying shields were deployed in huge numbers when the raid was going on at the Delhi Secretariat.