(If you feel suicidal or know someone in distress, please reach out to them with kindness and call these numbers of local emergency services, helplines, and mental health NGOs.)
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday, 5 September, alleged that an officer of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) died by suicide two days ago after he was pressured to frame the minister in a false excise case.
Sisodia was referring to, Jitendra Kumar, a deputy legal advisor who was found hanging at his south Delhi residence on Thursday, according to the police.
The CBI, however, denied Sisodia's "mischievous and misleading" comments and insisted that the officer was in no way connected with the investigation against the deputy chief minister.
Sisodia also ridiculed the "sting operation" videos released by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as purported "proof" of the Delhi government's corruption. "They stood on the road, sat someone in a car, and asked them some question. Is this a sting? This is a joke," he said.
Here's all you need to know.
What Did Sisodia Say?
Speaking at a press conference, Sisodia had claimed, "A legal advisor at CBI's anti-corruption branch, Jitendra Kumar, was under pressure to frame me in false excise case, and sanction my arrest. He could not take the mental pressure and died by suicide two days ago. This is really unfortunate."
"I want to ask the Prime Minister why officers are being pressured so much that they are forced to take such extreme steps. Arrest me if you want, but don't destroy families of your officers," he added.
How Did the CBI Respond to Sisodia’s Claims?
The CBI clarified that the officer, who hasn't held anyone responsible in his suicide note, was in no way connected with the investigation of the case – he was supervising prosecutors conducting the trial of already charge-sheeted cases in Delhi.
According to the agency, Sisodia's comments are an attempt to divert attention from the ongoing probe in the Delhi excise policy case.
Meanwhile, what Is the BJP’s 'Sting' Operation?
BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra addressed the media on Monday, claiming that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia had taken “commissions” worth “hundreds of crores” to benefit private players under the now scrapped excise policy.
Patra played two 'sting videos,' which purportedly captured the father of one of the accused in the CBI's FIR regarding the alleged excise policy case. He alleged that the man is seen “explaining their (AAP leaders') modus operandi."
“In the video, Kulwinder Marwah is explaining that 80 percent profit is ours – of contractors, of friends of Kejriwal and Sisodia. The exchequer is getting only 10 percent, he says. He says he was told that he can sell to whoever he wants, however he wants, as long as a fixed amount is given,” Patra stated in the press meet, suggesting that this ‘fixed amount’ was going to Kejriwal and Sisodia.
What Is the Case Against Sisodia?
Last month, the CBI had raided Sisodia's Delhi residence, after registering an FIR over the alleged irregularities in the formulation and execution of the Delhi excise policy brought out in November last year.
The central agency also searched Sisodia's bank locker at a Punjab National Bank (PNB) branch in Ghaziabad on 30 August.
The investigation agency has named Sisodia as the prime accused in the case, which has been registered under IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
The FIR says that Sisodia, the then Delhi Excise Commissioner, Arava Gopi Krishna, and two other senior excise department officials were “instrumental in recommending and taking decisions pertaining to excise policy for the year 2021-22 without approval of competent authority with an intention to extend undue favours to the licencees post tender."
Read more about the case here.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)