00:00Now, that's not the only issue that concerns the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar.
00:04He now finds himself under investigation in Kheralam, where he was once, remember, a senior IAS officer.
00:11The State Home Minister, Ramesh Chanitala, ordered a vigilance investigation into a 20-year-old case
00:17relating to the suicide of a Malaysian engineer involved in a road project
00:22when Mr. Kumar was then the PWD secretary in Kheralam.
00:27Is this political vendetta or are the ghosts of the past coming to haunt Gyanesh Kumar?
00:34Take a look.
00:40A 20-year-old suicide case is back in the headlines, putting CEC Gyanesh Kumar in a spot.
00:48Kheralam Home Minister, Ramesh Chanitala, has ordered a vigilance probe against Gyanesh Kumar
00:54over the death of a Malaysian engineer who was involved in a road project.
01:00Civil engineer Lisi Bean associated with a party bail consortium
01:05that worked on the upgradation of MC Road under the Kheralam State Transport Project.
01:10Lisi Bean died by suicide in 2006.
01:13In his suicide note, he allegedly named Gyanesh Kumar, who was the PWD secretary at that time.
01:20The engineer had blamed government officials for pending payments, owed to Malaysian company.
01:25The V.S. Achyutanandan government had then transferred Gyanesh Kumar out of PWD.
01:31But the vigilance probe, ordered by the government, did not reach anywhere.
01:35The 1,600 crore rupees road project was partly funded by the World Bank.
01:42The fresh vigilance probe has been ordered on the basis of a complaint by M. Venu Gopal, a local congress
01:49leader.
01:52Unfortunately, that time the LDF government was in power.
01:55First they transferred into another department.
01:58Afterwards, he was sent to Delhi.
02:00No action has been taken.
02:02No proper inquiry has been conducted.
02:04From that day onwards, the people of Kherala were very upset about this case.
02:09It is my bounden duty as a minister to see that the truth will come out.
02:15The culture should be booked.
02:18That is why I have referred this matter to the vigilance and anti-corruption bureau of Kherala.
02:24The left, which was in power when the suicide took place, accused the congress-led UDF of helping Gyanesh Kumar.
02:50The allegations against Gyanesh Kumar also include criminal misconduct in awarding public works to contractors while he was PWD secretary.
03:01But questions are being raised over the new investigation, especially as it comes 20 years after the suicide took place.
03:10With Shibimul KG, Bureau Report, India Today.
