The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) on Thursday arrested Niranjan Das, former Excise Commissioner of Chhattisgarh, for his alleged role in the multi-crore liquor scam that has rocked the state’s political and administrative circles. Officials have accused Das of colluding with a powerful liquor syndicate and deliberately manipulating the state’s excise system to serve the interests of the cartel. His arrest marks another major development in the investigation, which has already exposed deep-rooted corruption and brought several high-profile names under scrutiny.
Investigators claim that Das, during his tenure, abused his official position to aid the syndicate in controlling liquor supply and sale through state-run outlets. The EOW alleges that he not only tampered with the tendering process but also deliberately cleared flawed excise policies, enabling the cartel to amass huge profits. He is further accused of facilitating the circulation of unaccounted liquor and ensuring that officer transfers were made in line with the cartel’s needs, thereby strengthening the syndicate’s grip on the system.
According to the EOW’s findings, Das personally received benefits worth several crores of rupees in exchange for his role in protecting and advancing the cartel’s operations. These alleged favours and illegal gains, officials say, underline the nexus between senior bureaucrats and private players who orchestrated the scam on a massive scale. His arrest is seen as an attempt to tighten the investigation around bureaucratic involvement and trace the flow of illicit funds.
The scam itself has been pegged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at over ₹2,500 crore, spanning the years 2019 to 2022, when the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government was in power. The ED, which is probing the money-laundering angle, has asserted that the liquor cartel operated as a “criminal syndicate” in Chhattisgarh, extorting illegal commissions from the sale of liquor while also engaging in unauthorised sales through government-run shops.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and the EOW had formally registered an FIR on January 17 last year, naming as many as 70 individuals and companies allegedly linked to the scam. Among those named were influential political figures, including former excise minister Kawasi Lakhma and former chief secretary Vivek Dhand. Since then, the agencies have filed one chargesheet along with four supplementary chargesheets, leading to the arrest of over a dozen individuals.
Several prominent names have already been taken into custody in connection with the case. These include businessman Anwar Dhebar, former IAS officer Anil Tuteja, Indian Telecom Service officer Arunpati Tripathi, and, most recently, Chaitanya Baghel, son of former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, who was arrested in July this year. The arrest of Congress MLA Kawasi Lakhma in January further underscored the political sensitivities surrounding the case.
With Niranjan Das now in custody, the spotlight has shifted once again to the bureaucratic machinery that allegedly enabled the liquor syndicate to operate with impunity. Investigators are expected to widen their probe into the network of officials and politicians who may have benefited from the scam, even as the ED continues to trace the laundering of illicit funds through shell companies and benami transactions.
