Anti-Corruption Bureau Lauded for Decisive Action Against PWD Employees, Patwari, and ASI; Higher Authorities Face Scrutiny for Allowing Corruption to Flourish Despite “Zero Tolerance” Policy
- The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) today arrested four government officials—two PWD employees (Anil Jamwal and Jeet Kumar), a Patwari (Mohd. Razaq), and an ASI (Zamurat Manhas)—in three separate trap cases for demanding and accepting bribes.
- While the ACB is lauded for its swift and effective action, serious questions are being raised about the abysmal failure of departmental bosses, particularly Mendhar Police, in overseeing their corrupt officials, allowing rampant corruption to fester despite the J&K UT’s “zero tolerance” policy.
- The incident involving ASI Zamurat Manhas from Police Station Mendhar highlights a profound systemic failure, with the ACB forced to intervene where local police leadership, despite clear evidence, evidently failed to act decisively against internal corruption.
Harpreet Singh
Jammu, January 20, 2026: In a significant display of its unwavering commitment to clean governance, the Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) today delivered a decisive blow to entrenched corruption, arresting four government officials in three separate trap cases for demanding and accepting bribes. While the ACB’s swift and effective action is being widely lauded, these arrests simultaneously cast a harsh spotlight on the glaring failures of departmental heads, particularly the Mendhar Police, who appear to have “slept over” rampant corruption, allowing it to flourish despite the Lieutenant Governor and Chief Minister’s declared “zero tolerance” for such malpractices in J&K UT.
The ACB’s operations today saw two cases registered at PS ACB Rajouri and one at PS ACB Udhampur, dismantling various corrupt practices:
In the Udhampur case, the ACB received a complaint alleging that Anil Jamwal, Jr. Assistant in the office of Superintending Engineer PWD R&B Udhampur, and Jeet Kumar, Computer Operator in the office of Executive Engineer PWD R&B Udhampur, demanded a bribe of ₹12,000 for issuing a contractor card. After discreet verification corroborated the bribe demand, FIR No. 02/2026 U/S 07 of Prevention of Corruption, Act, 1988 and Section 61(2) BNS, 2023 was registered at PS ACB Udhampur. A trap team, led by a Dy. SP Rank Officer, successfully caught both accused red-handed while demanding and accepting the bribe. The money was recovered, and searches were conducted at Ram Nagar and Laddan Power House Udhampur.
A second case, registered at PS ACB Rajouri as FIR No. 01/2026, involved ASI Zamurat Manhas of Police Station Mendhar. The complainant alleged that ASI Manhas, despite an agreement for the complainant to return money to one Abdul Qayoom at a later date, began demanding a bribe of ₹5,000 to settle the matter. Manhas also allegedly threatened to book the complainant under PSA if the bribe was not paid. The complainant, a poor person, approached ACB Rajouri, leading to a successful trap where ASI Manhas was caught red-handed accepting the bribe. Searches were subsequently conducted at his residential premises in Mendhar, Surankote, and Jammu.
In the third case, also registered at PS ACB Rajouri as FIR No. 02/2026, Patwari Mohd. Razaq of Patwar Halqa Sokar/Prori, Koteranka, was arrested. The complaint alleged that Patwari Razaq demanded a bribe to record the names of the complainant’s three daughters in the revenue record (Khasra Girdwari). The ACB team caught Mohd. Razaq red-handed while demanding and accepting ₹10,000 as a bribe. Searches were conducted at his residential premises.
While the ACB is rightly commended for its diligence in these operations, the incidents, particularly the arrest of a police official from Mendhar, raise alarming questions about accountability and oversight within other government departments. The fact that the ACB had to intervene to address a bribe demand by an ASI (Assistant Sub-Inspector) in Mendhar highlights a profound failure of the local police leadership to monitor and act decisively against corruption within its own ranks. This is not the first time that police officials from Mendhar district have been implicated in such malpractices, leading to public disillusionment about internal accountability mechanisms.
Despite continuous pronouncements from the Lieutenant Governor and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah about a “zero tolerance for corruption” policy across J&K UT, such incidents suggest that many departmental bosses are either failing to keep a vigilant eye on their corrupt officials or are actively allowing a “rampant corruption gang” to flourish under their noses. The cases involving PWD officials and a Patwari further underscore this systemic laxity, where public servants tasked with essential services exploit citizens for illegal gratification.
Further investigation in all three cases is ongoing, but the arrests today serve as a stark reminder that while the ACB remains committed to weeding out corruption, the ultimate responsibility for fostering an ethical and transparent work environment lies with the heads of respective departments. Their failure to act decisively against internal misconduct directly undermines the efforts of anti-corruption agencies and erodes public trust in the administration. The public is now demanding not just ACB action, but visible accountability from all departmental bosses who, despite high-level directives, seem to be allowing corruption to thrive.
