Latest news with #DhimanChakma
News18
3 hours ago
- News18
Taught Integrity & Ethics, Held For Taking Bribe: The Dual Life Of IAS Officer Dhiman Chakma
Last Updated: 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
Hindustan Times
5 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Odisha IAS officer Dhiman Chakma caught accepting ₹10 lakh bribe
Dhiman Chakma, a Sub-Collector of Dharamgarh in Odisha's Kalahandi district, was caught on Monday allegedly accepting a ₹10 lakh bribe from a local businessman, according to the Odisha Vigilance Department. M Radhakrishna, SP (Vigilance), said that Chakma was presented before the special vigilance court in Bhawanipatna, which denied his bail request and sent him to 14 days of judicial custody. Following the arrest, officials conducted searches at Chakma's government residence, where an additional ₹47 lakh in cash was recovered. Investigations are ongoing, the department said in a release. 'During the search, ₹47 lakh in cash was found from his quarters at Dharamgarh. As he could not give any satisfactory explanation regarding such huge cash, the same was seized,' Radhakrishna said. According to the Vigilance Department, Chakma, a 2021-batch IAS officer, allegedly demanded a total bribe of ₹20 lakh and threatened to take action against the businessman's enterprise if payment was not made. The Vigilance Department wrote on X: 'Today, Sri Dhiman Chakma, IAS (2021 batch), Sub-Collector, Dharamgarh, #Kalahandi, has been nabbed while taking a bribe of Rs. 10 Lakh from a businessman, threatening to act against his business otherwise. Further, ₹47 lakh cash was recovered during the search at his government's residence.' It further added: 'The overall bribe demanded was ₹20 lakh, & this was the 1st instalment. In this connection, Vigilance Cell PS Case No. 6 /2025 U/s 7 P. C. Act, 1988 as amended by P. C. (Amd) Act, 2018 has been registered. Investigation continues.' A video shared by the vigilance department showed currency notes recovered from Chakma's residence spread out on a bed as officials continued their search. Chakma called the complainant to his official residence According to a vigilance statement, 2021-batch IAS officer Dhiman Chakma allegedly threatened a local businessman, demanding ₹20 lakh to avoid action against him. The businessman reported the demand to Vigilance authorities, prompting officials to lay a trap on the night of June 8, 2025. 'Based on the complaint, a trap was laid on June 8, 2025, night, wherein accused Dhiman Chakma was nabbed by a team of Odisha Vigilance in his government quarters at Dharamgarh in Kalahandi district,' the statement said. It added that Chakma was caught red-handed accepting ₹10 lakh — the first instalment of the bribe — which was recovered from his possession in the presence of witnesses. The IAS officer was caught "red-handed while demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹10 lakh from a local businessman," the department said in the release. The accused Sub-Collector called the complainant to his official government residence at Dharamgarh, received the bribe amount, verified the '26 number of 100-note bundles of different denominations with both his hands, and kept the same inside his residence office table drawer.' Both hand wash and table drawer wash 'gave a positive chemical reaction,' the release said. A case has been registered under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018). More details are awaited as the probe continues. The SP said a case has been registered against IAS officer Dhiman Chakma under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018. Chakma initially joined the Odisha cadre as a 2019-batch Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer. After completing his training, he served as Additional Chief Conservator at Baripada in Mayurbhanj from June 2021. He later cleared the civil services examination in 2021, was appointed as an IAS officer, and assigned to the Odisha cadre. Following training, Chakma took charge as Sub-Collector of Dharamgarh in Kalahandi district in January 2024, the official added. (With PTI, ANI inputs)
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Once an inspiring story, IAS officer falls from grace
BHUBANESWAR: IAS officer Dhiman Chakma (36), facing serious corruption charges after being caught accepting Rs 10 lakh bribe in Kalahandi district on Sunday, was once celebrated on social media for his inspiring journey. Chakma, who was sent to judicial custody on Monday following the rejection of his bail plea, began his career as an assistant conservator of forests in Baripada, Mayurbhanj district in June 2021, following his selection to the Indian Forest Service (2019 batch). In Jan 2024, he joined as sub-collector at Dharmagar in Kalahandi after clearing the IAS exam. His journey of becoming an IAS officer had captured public imagination in 2020 when he cleared the UPSC civil services exam. As the first successful candidate from Kanchanpur, a remote town in Tripura, his achievement was noteworthy. His story, featuring accounts of his preparation and eventual triumph, had gone viral on social media, inspiring countless aspirants from the region. However, the narrative took a dark turn when Odisha vigilance arrested Chakma on corruption charges. The anti-corruption officials recovered Rs 10 lakh in bribe money during the operation, and a subsequent house search yielded an additional Rs 47 lakh in cash. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like ¿Tienes $105? Inviértelos en CFD de Amazon y observa cómo crecen sin salir de casa. Empezar ahora Subscríbete Undo "We are verifying his movable and immovable assets. Policy related decisions taken by him are being scrutinised," a vigilance official said. According to vigilance sources, three days before his arrest, Chakma attended a two-day conference of revenue officials in Bhubaneswar where chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi and revenue minister Suresh Pujari warned all attendees about the consequences of engaging in corrupt practices. The contrast between Chakma's past and present has sparked intense discussions on social media. Users are sharing his old videos alongside recent images showing him in custody with the recovered cash. "This case underscores how quickly public servants can deviate from their sworn duties in the very beginning of their career. It is very disappointing given his promising beginning and the hope he had sown in the heart of young aspirants," said retired DGP, Santosh Kumar Upadhyay. "The incident has prompted broader discussions about the need for stronger accountability measures," retired chief secretary Bijay Patnaik said.
Hans India
9 hours ago
- Hans India
IAS officer Chakma arrested for taking Rs 10L bribe
Bhawanipatna: Dharamgarh Sub-Collector and 2021 batch IAS officer Dhiman Chakma was arrested by Odisha Vigilance on Monday for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 10 lakh from a businessman. The Rs 10 lakh bribe money was an instalment of the overall demand of Rs 20-lakh bribe. Chakma was produced before the Special Judge, Vigilance, Bhawanipatna, which rejected his bail plea and remanded him in judicial custody for 14 days. Vigilance sources said the Sub-Collector called the complainant to his official government residence at Dharamgarh, received the bribe amount, verified the 26 number of 100-note bundles of different denominations with both his hands,and kept the same inside his residence office table drawer. 'Both handwash and table drawer wash gave a positive chemical reaction. Following this, further Rs 47 lakh cash has been recovered during searches at his official residence,' said SP, Vigilance cell, Cuttack division, M Radhakrishna. Sources said the Sub-Collector was demanding a huge amount of bribe from the complainant by threatening to take action against the latter's stone crusher unit at Dharamgarh in Kalahandi district. Finding no other way, the owner of the stone crusher unit approached the Vigilance department that set a trap and caught Chakma red-handed on Sunday. The Vigilance sources said a case was registered in this connection at the Vigilance Cell under Section 7 of Prevention against Corruption Amendment Act, 2018. The 2021 batch Odisha cadre IAS officer Chakma hails from Tripura. He had completed his B Tech from National Institute of Technology in Agartala. Dhiman Chakma had joined Odisha cadre as an Indian Forest Service officer of 2019 batch. After undergoing training, he worked as Additional Chief Conservator of Forest at Baripada in Mayurbhanj district from June 2021. Later, Chakma cleared the civil services exam in 2021 and was appointed as IAS officer and assigned Odisha cadre. After training, he joined as Sub-Collector of Dharamgarh in January 2024 and was serving in this position until his arrest.
Time of India
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Odisha IAS officer hailing from Tripura caught taking bribe
1 2 3 4 Bhubaneswar: IAS officer Dhiman Chakma (36), once celebrated on social media for his inspiring journey as the first successful candidate from Tripura's remote Kanchanpur town, was caught accepting Rs 10 lakh bribe in Odisha's Kalahandi district on Sunday. Chakma was sent to judicial custody on Monday after the court rejected his bail plea. Chakma's career began in 2019 when he was selected in UPSC's Indian Forest Service. He joined as an assistant conservator of forests in Baripada, Mayurbhanj district. In 2024, he cleared the IAS exam and joined as sub-collector at Dharmagar in Kalahandi. His journey of becoming an IAS officer had captured public imagination. His story, featuring accounts of his preparation and eventual triumph, was widely shared on social media, inspiring countless aspirants. The narrative took a dark turn when Odisha vigilance arrested Chakma. Besides the bribe money, an additional Rs 47 lakh cash was recovered in a house search. "We are verifying his movable and immovable assets. Policy related decisions taken by him are also being scrutinised," a vigilance official said. The contrast between Chakma's past and present has sparked intense discussions on social media. "This case underscores how quickly public servants can deviate from their sworn duties in the very beginning of their career. It is very disappointing...," retired DGP Santosh Kumar Upadhyay said. "The incident has prompted broader discussions about corruption in civil services and the need for stronger accountability measures. Chakma's fall from grace also serves as a cautionary tale about the responsibilities that come with public service positions and the consequences of betraying public trust," retired chief secretary Bijay Patnaik said.
