Government employee arrested in Karimganj for selling rice meant for children

An Assam government employee was arrested at Patharkandi in Karimganj district on Monday for selling rice meant for children under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme.

The arrested person Ataur Rahman (40) is a worker at the Office of Child Development Project Officer (Patharkandi ICDS Project) under the Department of Social Welfare. Rahman is a resident of Banamali area in Karimganj.

ICDS is a government programme in India, which provides food, pre-school education, primary healthcare, immunisation, health check-up and referral services to children under six years of age and their mothers.

Sources said Rahman was spotted by people selling rice in a market at Patharkandi, around 85 km from Silchar, on Monday afternoon. Onlookers grew suspicious from Rahman’s body language after which a large number of people gathered in the market area. Members of BJP Yuva Morcha reached the spot soon and gheraoed Rahman, sources said.

The Yuva Morcha members inquired about the rice to which Rahman failed to provide a convincing explanation. This enhanced the suspicion of the Yuva Morcha members, who handed him over to the police. During interrogation, Rahman spilled the beans and told the police that a worker of the same department from Nagaon had given him the rice to settle a monetary matter. Rahman thought he would get the money by selling the rice, Rahman said.

Five quintals of rice were recovered from Rahman’s possession. He will be produced before a court in Karimganj on Tuesday, a police official said.