Mehbooba Mufti slams Jammu and Kashmir government over transfer of ACB officers

Srinagar: The recent repatriation of three senior police officers from the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) amid an ongoing investigation into corruption allegations linked to the Smart City project has sparked controversy with opposition PDP president Mehbooba Mufti accusing the government of “punishing officials who expose corruption.”

On Thursday, the government repatriated three senior superintendent police (SSP) rank officers from the anti-graft body ACB to the Home department with immediate effect. The officers - Abdul Wahid Shah, Mohammad Rashid and Rakesh Kumar – were relieved from the ACB with immediate effect.

Last week, Shah, who was posted as Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Headquarters ACB, in a presser said they have registered cases against two senior officers of high-profile Srinagar Smart City Limited for owning assets disproportionate to their known source of income.

“Further details can be shared only after the searches and investigation is completed,” Shah had said and added the two officers were booked on corruption charges, including allegations of substandard work under the Smart City initiative.

Just five days later the transfer of Shah and two other senior officers in the ACB has raised eyebrows.

“The removal of Abdul Wahid and his colleagues from the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) highlights the risks faced by officials who challenge corruption. It exposes the nexus between the corrupt and the most powerful,” Mehbooba posted on X.

She said the action of “punishing the whistleblower has revealed the government’s true intentions behind using various agencies, including ACB, to raid properties of Kashmiris under the guise of corruption investigations.”

“This raises questions about the government’s commitment to justice and accountability,” the former CM asked.

The ACB has been instrumental in exposing several high-profile corruption cases in Jammu and Kashmir in recent years earning praise.