Home ministry officer booked in bullet proof jacket scam

NEW DELHI - A senior home ministry official was booked for corruption and his residence was raided in connection with the purchase of bullet proof jackets for personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said Wednesday.

The case was registered against R.S. Sharma, director level officer in the home ministry, for allegedly accepting a bribe in the purchase of bullet proof jackets. Sharma looks after modernisation and provisioning for paramilitary forces and allocation of weaponry for all police forces.

“Sharma had developed a nexus with certain private firms supplying security equipment such as armoured panels, bullet proof jackets, helmets and shields and was granting undue favours to such firms,” CBI spokesman Harsh Bhal told reporters here.

The home ministry floated a tender for procurement of 59,000 bullet proof jackets for in July 2009. The tender ran into controversies after allegations of manipulation and discriminatory trial of samples of private firms participating in the tender process.

This led to re-evaluation of the tender and re-trial of sample bullet proof jackets.

“Sharma leaked confidential information about the tender and trial process to a competing firm. He established unauthorised contact with the private firm and had been demanding and accepting illegal gratification in lieu of services and favours shown,” he added.

Bhal said searches were being conducted at residential and official premises of Sharma as well as the owner of the private firm.