Explainer: What the Rs 350 crore procurement scam involving Tamil Nadu police is

Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption will probe the irregularities in the tender process for the purchase of cameras, CCTVs and Digital Mobile Radio for the police department.

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The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) has launched a probe into the alleged irregularities in the procurement of equipment, reportedly worth Rs 350 crore, by the Tamil Nadu police department. This comes after the state’s Home Department had initially ordered a probe against the top police officials into 'criminal misconduct' and potential 'pecuniary loss' to the government on September 19.

The preliminary internal investigation by the Deputy Inspector General (Technical Services) and Inspector General (Crime) allegedly revealed serious irregularities in the tenders floated for the purchase of CCTV cameras, Digital Mobile Radios (DMR), and the eligibility criteria set for the procurement of these products, among others.

M Anbuchezian, Superintendent of Police (Technical Services), and some top officials are under the scanner for awarding contracts to one particular private company and ignoring the concerns raised by other top police officials in the department. According to The Times of India, a majority of the tenders for the procurement of the equipment was given to one V-Link Systems Pvt Ltd. and Anbuchezian had repudiated red flags raised by other senior colleagues.

The Technical Services wing falls under the Office of the DGP, and Anbuchezian has been holding the post of SP for the last six years.

The DMR tenders in 10 of 16 districts were awarded to this private company. When a senior colleague in Anbuchezian's team recommended seeking opinion from the Union Home Ministry's Directorate of Coordination Police Wireless (DCPW), the SP reportedly responded stating that the state's requirement could not be compared with the listings on DCPW's website.

While Anbuchezian has denied the allegation, the Leader of the Opposition, DMK’s MK Stalin, has called for an independent probe into the allegations. The DMK chief also cited irregularities in the alleged Rs 88 crore walkie-talkie scam he had raised in December 2017, where the same company had been named.

Alleging that SP Anbuchezian was acting per the orders of DGP TK Rajendran, Stalin said, “Since the scandal has been reported in a department under the control of the Chief Minister, the DVAC should not share any information with the officials of the CM’s office and should conduct the investigation in an independent manner and bring those responsible for the scam to book.”

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami issued a rebuttal while speaking to reporters in Salem on Sunday. “When has he not made such allegations? He has been making such claims since I took over as the Chief Minister. What have they proved? It is a deliberate attempt and a lie,” he said.