Taught Integrity & Ethics, Held For Taking Bribe: The Dual Life Of IAS Officer Dhiman Chakma
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Looked upon as role model, Dhiman Chakma's online lectures focused on implementation of law, enhancing flagship schemes, maintaining ethical conduct and fostering discipline
Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Dhiman Chakma did not practise what he preached – while he guided civil services aspirants and probationary officers on honesty, integrity and transparency, he was arrested on June 8 for accepting bribes.
While serving as the Sub-Collector of Keonjhar and Dharmagarh, Chakma gave online lectures to civil service aspirants, probationary IAS officers, and OAS officers. He also delivered motivational speeches at various government awareness programmes and provided online teaching for skill development programmes of the state government.
With government permission, he made extra efforts to educate youth and government servants through online teaching. His primary focus was on the implementation of law, enhancing government flagship schemes, maintaining ethical conduct during employment, and fostering discipline and professionalism.
He also taught about integrity and Civil Service exam preparation, emphasising honesty, transparency, and dedication upon entering the service.
A ROLE MODEL
Chakma's journey from the remote hills of Tripura to the elite ranks of the IAS once symbolised the triumph of grit and determination. On June 8, the Odisha vigilance department arrested the 2021-batch IAS officer after allegedly catching him accepting a bribe of Rs 10 lakh at his official residence in Kalahandi district.
Chakma had cleared the UPSC Civil Services Examination not once but twice, becoming a role model for IAS aspirants from the northeast.
Chakma served as the sub-collector in Dharamgarh, a subdivision of Odisha's Kalahandi district. His administrative duties placed him in charge of local governance and rural development. But according to Odisha Vigilance officials, Chakma used his position to demand illegal payments.
The bribe complaint came from a local businessman who operates a stone crusher unit. The businessman alleged that Chakma threatened to initiate action against his unit unless he paid Rs 20 lakh. When the first Rs 10 lakh installment was delivered, a trap laid by the Vigilance team caught Chakma allegedly accepting the cash. A chemical test confirmed traces of the bribe on his hands and office drawer. A raid on his residence that yielded Rs 47 lakh in cash.
First Published:
June 10, 2025, 14:12 IST
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