Hardoi BSA booked for seeking ₹5L bribe; officer claims admin framed him

Lucknow: An FIR has been registered against Hardoi’s Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) Ajit Singh on allegations of demanding a Rs 5 lakh bribe from an agency involved in the recruitment of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) educators.The officer has denied the allegations, claiming that he has been implicated as part of a conspiracy orchestrated by the district administration.The case was registered at Kotwali Nagar police station on a complaint filed by Om Prakash Tiwari, president of Ujjwala Seva Sansthan, a Tarabganj-based organisation in Gonda district. The FIR has been registered under the charges of Prevention of Corruption Act, 7.According to the complaint, the institution had been authorised to conduct recruitment-related processes for 210 ECCE educator posts in several UP districts.Tiwari alleged that after obtaining data of 630 shortlisted candidates from a pool of 4,590 applicants through a randomisation process conducted by the district selection committee, the organisation sought guidance from officials for further recruitment procedures. He claimed that nearly six months after the agreement was executed, Ajit Singh summoned him to his office and demanded Rs 5 lakh as illegal gratification.

The complainant further alleged that he was threatened with blacklisting of the organisation and forfeiture of its security deposit if the money was not paid. He claimed that, under pressure, he paid Rs 2 lakh to the officer, but demands for the remaining amount continued and the organisation was repeatedly harassed.BSA Denies Charges, Levels Counter-AllegationsResponding to the allegations, Ajit Singh described the FIR as a “trap” laid by Hardoi district magistrate Anunay Jha.

He claimed that the DM had repeatedly accused him of corruption but had failed to substantiate the allegations.“The DM and ADM Praful Tripathi have been harassing me. I was abused during official meetings and even told to leave the district,” Singh alleged.The BSA further claimed that two clerical staff members from his office were attached elsewhere by the administration and replaced with personnel allegedly tasked with monitoring his activities.

He maintained that all actions related to the ECCE recruitment process were undertaken under the directions and supervision of the district administration.Singh alleged that the complaint was part of a conspiracy and challenged authorities to verify his conduct with candidates selected for educator posts. He asserted that he had never demanded money from any applicant or organisation and vowed to contest the allegations through legal means.The officer also claimed that he deliberately stayed away from office on Friday, fearing that he could be detained on fabricated grounds. He alleged that one of his office staff members had previously been forcibly taken to a police station during the ongoing dispute.Recruitment Records Under ScannerThe controversy comes amid an ongoing probe into missing records related to the recruitment of 29,000 teachers.

Acting on the instructions of DM Anunay Jha, a three-member committee comprising city magistrate Sanjay Singh, Sadar SDM Sanjay Agrahari and DIET principal Ramendra Singh conducted an inspection of the BSA office on Friday evening.Officials examined recruitment, appointment and administrative records for several hours. During the inspection, certain important files were reportedly found missing from official records.

In view of the seriousness of the matter, several almirahs and two rooms containing recruitment-related documents were sealed for further examination.The inquiry also revealed that original records pertaining to 61 teachers recruited under the 29,000-teacher recruitment drive were unavailable. An FIR had already been registered against former section in-charge Anupam Mishra in connection with the disappearance of those documents. Mishra was responsible for maintaining records related to the ECCE educator recruitment process.Officials said the investigation into the bribery allegations and the missing recruitment records is underway. No conclusions have yet been reached, and the allegations made by both sides remain subject to verification.