Crime Story of Bihar: Such a scam has rarely happened in the history of Bihar, which has shaken politics, bureaucracy and judiciary. This was not just theft of government money, but an exposure of a system that had been based on dishonesty for decades. Known as ‘Fodder Scam’, this case was of embezzlement of Rs 950 crore, which snatched away the chair of a Chief Minister and changed the course of Bihar’s politics. This time in ‘Bihar Ki Crime Katha’, let us know how this game started? And how hundreds of officers and leaders including Lalu Prasad Yadav were trapped in this scam.
The disturbances started in the 1970s
The fodder scam has its roots in the 1970s, when Bihar False bills started being made in the Animal Husbandry Department in the name of government expenditure. Initially it was a small-scale fraud, but gradually the collusion of officers, suppliers and politicians increased. Money kept being withdrawn from the government treasury in the name of animal fodder, medicines and equipment, whereas in reality these things were never purchased.
Corruption increased despite warnings
In 1985, the then Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) T.N. Chaturvedi had warned the Bihar government that delay in reporting accounts by departments pointed towards embezzlement. But the warning was ignored. This made it clear that corruption was getting political protection even at high levels.
Vigilance department revealed secrets
In 1992, Vigilance Department Inspector Bidhu Bhushan Dwivedi in his report talked about involvement up to the level of the Chief Minister. But instead of investigation, Dwivedi was punished. He was transferred and later suspended, after which he was reinstated by court order and became a witness in the case.
Big revelation happened in 1996
In January 1996, Ranchi’s young Deputy Commissioner Amit Khare suddenly raided the Chaibasa treasury. The documents found there exposed Bihar’s biggest financial scam. Crores of rupees were withdrawn from the government treasury through fake bills, imaginary animals and fake suppliers. All the documents which were recovered during the raid were testifying to this fact.
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Media revealed
Bihar’s local journalist Ravi S. Jha brought this scam into national headlines for the first time. It was clear in his report that not only officers but even politicians were involved in this. This revelation exposed the entire scam. He showed how governments and contractors were together looting the resources of Bihar.
Investigation handed over to CBI
Now this matter had become heated from media to political circles. Apart from this, no other issue was being discussed in the state. People were surprised how the game took place on such a large scale. Under public pressure and court monitoring, in March 1996, the Patna High Court handed over the investigation of the case to the CBI. As soon as the investigation started, many big names came forward. Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, former Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra and many IAS officers. Gradually the scope of the scam expanded to more than 50 cases. The investigation continued and cases were registered.
Permission to prosecute Lalu
Now the responsibility of investigating the entire case was with CBI. Therefore, on May 10, 1997, CBI sought permission from the Governor to prosecute Lalu Prasad Yadav. The then Governor of Bihar, A.R. Kidwai allowed this after seeing the evidence. Meanwhile, officials and ministers close to Lalu also came under the scanner. The matter kept getting worse. Lalu applied for anticipatory bail in the court, which was rejected.
Lalu removed from power, Rabri became Chief Minister
Now as soon as the situation of arrest came, Lalu Prasad Yadav formed his new party Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on 5 July 1997 and separated from Janata Dal. On July 25, he resigned from the post of CM and made his wife Rabri Devi the new Chief Minister of Bihar. This step of Lalu opened a new chapter in the politics of Bihar.
Jail and series of cases
Now Lalu’s bad times had started. In the year 1997, he was arrested and kept in Ranchi jail. After this, he was again arrested in different cases in 1998 and 2000. Jagannath Mishra also had to make repeated rounds of jail and court. The investigation was going on so thoroughly that there were piles of evidence in the court. The documents were brought in 20 trucks and presented before the court.
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disproportionate assets case
Lalu was facing troubles one after the other. Not even a whole year had passed that in 1998, a case was registered against Lalu Prasad Yadav and his wife Rabri Devi for possessing disproportionate assets. He was accused of making illegal assets worth Rs 46 lakh from the government treasury. Although both of them were acquitted in this case by the special CBI court in 2006, this case proved to be very effective politically.
long battle in court
The wheel of time was turning fast. Since the year 2000, hearing started in 53 cases related to fodder scam. By May 2013, 44 cases had been disposed of. More than 500 accused were found guilty. Lalu Prasad Yadav was sentenced to a total of 14 years. Then on January 6, 2018, along with three and a half years of imprisonment, a fine of Rs 5 lakh was also imposed on him.
Impact on Lalu’s politics
In 2013, the CBI court of Ranchi convicted Lalu Prasad Yadav in this case. In which he lost his Lok Sabha membership and was disqualified from contesting the elections. This was a big blow to Bihar politics, because Lalu had once been the most popular leader of the state.
Stain on the credibility of Bihar government
This scam not only tarnished the image of Bihar but also broke the public trust in government schemes. The case was seen as a symbol of “Jungle Raj” and political patronage. Instead of government help reaching farmers and cattle herders, they fell victim to corruption.
Fodder scam had spread to many districts
According to investigation, the fodder scam was not limited to just one or two districts. Crores of rupees were withdrawn from the government treasury from Chaibasa, Chaibasa Treasury, Doranda, Deoghar, Dumka and other parts of Jharkhand in the name of fake bills and imaginary animal husbandry materials. Details of hundreds of witnesses were recorded in these cases. Many people, ground-staff, suppliers, local officials etc. were also among the witnesses.
For example, in the Doranda Treasury case, the testimony of about 600 witnesses was recorded and more than 50,000 pages of documents were presented as evidence. After this, out of 124 accused in the Doranda Treasury case, 89 were found guilty and 35 were acquitted.
Arrest, sentence and bail
Lalu Prasad Yadav was punished in some cases and in some cases appeals are pending in the Supreme Court and High Courts. Considering Lalu Yadav’s health, his bail was approved. In some cases, the courts have granted them bail while under hospital care.
Former Chief Minister of Bihar Jagannath Mishra died in August 2019. He was 82 years old. Jagannath Mishra has been counted among the big leaders of Bihar, whose popularity was across the country. However, his career was also full of controversies because Jagannath Mishra’s name came up in the fodder scam. He was initially found guilty but later the court acquitted him due to lack of evidence.
It was alleged that Jagannath Mishra, as the leader of the opposition, had recommended extension of service of three officers. But the CBI could not prove the allegation whether he took any money in return or received any other benefit. Later the court had said that no allegation against Jagannath Mishra was directly proved in this case, that is why he was acquitted in 2018.
Now, even though many culprits have been punished in this case, a large part of the embezzled amount has not been returned yet. Fodder scam is still considered to be the biggest example of government corruption and political criminalization in India. This story tells how when power and system come together, public money can be looted.
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