Assam Rifles chief may face action for misusing funds

New Delhi: The Indian Army has sought the government’s permission to initiate a formal probe against the Director General of the Assam Rifles, Lieutenant General Rameshwar Roy on charges of spending regimental funds of the paramilitary force on his wife’s clothing, hair dressing and other gifts.

The defense ministry, in turn, has forwarded complaints in this regard against Roy to the Ministry of Home Affairs (India’s interior security ministry), under which Assam Rifles functions in the northeastern states in a counter-insurgency role.

“We have got some complaints and we have forwarded the matter to the home ministry for further action,” Defense Minister Arackaparambil Kurian Antony told reporters in response to a question on the alleged misuse of funds and a formal probe against Roy.

Meanwhile, defense ministry sources said army chief General Vijay Kumar Singh has written to Home Secretary Raj Kumar Singh asking for the repatriation of Roy, a serving army officer, to his parent force.

The army headquarters, the sources said, had documentary evidence that the officer spent at least INR 23,000 (USD 460) of regimental funds of Assam Rifles for personal expenses, especially on his wife.

An initial probe conducted by the army headquarters had established the authenticity of the documents. Roy will face a formal court of inquiry as and when he is sent back to the army.