MP Honey Trapping Case: Kamal Nath Government Changes SIT Chief For The Third Time In Less Than Ten Days

It is not the best of time for Chief Minister (CM) Kamal Nath, who has now encountered a major sex racket in Madhya Pradesh that spells trouble with its alleged clientele, starting with politicians it also has entrapped bureaucrats and journalists. The dilemma is such that the CM has changed the SIT chief over and over again.

Sanjeev Shami, the head of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Madhya Pradesh honey trap scandal has been transferred. The Kamal Nath government has even rejigged the SIT probing the sex racket. This will be the third time SIT and its head has been changed after the sensational honey trap scandal broke out in the state.

This has raised many questions about the intention of the government which had vowed to bring out the truth.

Rajendra Kumar, the 1985 batch IPS officer, has been made special DG (cybercrime) and the new chief of the three-member SIT while Additional DGP Milind Kanaskar and Ruchivardhan Mishra, senior superintendent of police Indore, will be the other members of the SIT.

Sanjeev Shami, who had earlier replaced Srinivas Verma as SIT chief, had been probing the case since 24 September. He had recovered thousands of video clips, sex chats and audio clips along with a diary which contained secret code words for the high profile 'targets'.

The proverbial 'red book' or the diary, the content of which was leaked to the media, is the latest talking point as it allegedly contains the names of politicians occupying high positions and also some bureaucrats.

As the news of the diary spread, the government issued a new circular to remove Sanjeev Shami as the SIT chief and instead gave charge of the probe to Rajendra Kumar.

Sources said that dispute between two officers of the DGP level over the probe in the sex scandal and deteriorating image of the police forced Chief Minister Kamal Nath to take the drastic step to remove Shami from the probe panel head.

Kamal Nath, in the meeting with the Director General of Police and Chief Secretary had reprimanded the police officers for their public squabbling and had expressed his displeasure over the worsening image of the police due to leaks.

Nath had also questioned how ATS chief Shami was given the charge to probe the sex scandal.

Senior BJP leader Govind Malu said: "Congress had promised change during the Assembly elections. Now after coming to power, they made so many transfers in the state. Now they have changed SIT head three times in just 9 days. Who are the people government is protecting as they had to make so many changes in the SIT. We demand CBI probe in the scandal."

Congress spokesman Syed Jafar said that this honey trap scandal is a grave issue and sensitive one, too. Many former leaders and bureaucrats are involved in the scandal. Government is not protecting anyone as being alleged by the BJP, rather it is trying to handle in a sensitive way.

The honey-trap cum extortion racket run by Shweta Vijay Jain and others involved using thousands of video clips of powerful politicians and bureaucrats in compromising positions to extort money and contracts from them.