NEW DELHI: Removed as chief vigilance officer of AIIMS, Sanjiv Chaturvedi, an Indian Forest Service officer, has charged the Union health ministry with presenting facts "contrary" to its own records and said they have cast aspersions on him.

Chaturvedi, who is deputy secretary of AIIMS, said in a letter to health minister Harsh Vardhan that he was not given an opportunity to state his version and "protect his dignity and self-respect".

Vardhan had said on September 24 that there was "nothing mala fide" in the government's decision to "re-profile" Chaturvedi's job. Accusing the ministry of "hiding the truth", Chaturvedi said, "I request that even if an iota of commitment towards transparency and combating corruption is left in the ministry, it should immediately allow the undersigned to bring the truth in public domain."

