In a major crackdown on corruption, a team from the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, North Zone Dharamshala, arrested Amir Chand Dogra, the owner of a channel based in Palampur of Kangra district, while accepting a bribe of 2 lakh rupees.
The arrest followed a complaint lodged by Bhuvnesh Chand Sood, a resident of Palampur, who alleged that Dogra had been extorting money by threatening to defame him through the broadcast of a manipulated video clip related to a land purchase by his son in the Palampur area.
According to the complaint, Dogra initially demanded 15 lakh rupees and an Audi car to suppress the video. After negotiation, the amount was reduced to 12 lakh rupees. Acting on the complaint, Superintendent of Police (Vigilance) Dharamshala formed a special team, which laid a trap. Dogra was caught red-handed while accepting the first installment of 2 lakh rupees from the complainant.
According to ASP Badri Singh a case under Section 308(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered at the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau police station in Dharamshala. Further investigation is currently underway.
Authorities have reiterated their commitment to curbing corruption and urged citizens to report any such incidents without fear.
Arvind Sharma is an award winning bi-lingual journalist with more than 20 years of experience.
He has worked with Divya Himachal, Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhasker, Vir Partap, Ajit and PTI.
In 2010, he was conferred the Himachal Kesri journalism award. He reports on the Tibetan Government in Exile, politics, sports, tourism and other topics. He lives in Dharamshala.
