The Dharamsala police have registered an FIR against a senior IAS officer, who is currently serving as the Administrator of the Kangra Central Cooperative (KCC) Bank, along with seven other senior bank officials. The case has been filed on allegations of caste-based discrimination made by a former bank officer.
The complainant, KC Bhardwaj, who retired a few weeks ago as Deputy General Manager of the KCC Bank, has alleged that eight senior officials continuously harassed him based on his caste. He has also alleged criminal conspiracy and illegal dismissal from service. Bhardwaj said the actions taken against him caused humiliation, mental trauma and were meant to damage his dignity as a public servant.
In his complaint, Bhardwaj further alleged that he faced repeated discrimination during his service. He claimed the alleged acts were not isolated but part of a well-planned and systematic pattern to marginalise him professionally and socially. He further alleged that senior bank officials conspired against him on caste grounds and misused official processes to create false narratives, which eventually led to adverse action and his dismissal. He later challenged the dismissal in court and secured a stay.
As per Bhardwaj, the alleged behaviour was aimed at breaking his morale, damaging his reputation and denying him fair treatment within the organisation. He said the humiliation he suffered violated constitutional guarantees of equality and dignity, as well as legal protections provided to members of Scheduled Castes. He added that the prolonged harassment caused severe mental stress and affected his standing in the institution.
Police officials confirmed that the FIR has been registered and those named in the FIR include IAS officer Vinod Kumar, Administrator of the KCC Bank and Commissioner of the Dharamsala Division; Rakesh Sharma, officiating General Manager; Amit Gupta, General Manager; Satvir Singh Minhas, former General Manager; Navdeep Mahajan, Deputy General Manager; Navneet Sharma, Assistant General Manager; Kashmir Singh Thakur, Senior Manager; and Vineet Kumar, Officer Grade-II.
The police said statements of the complainant and other persons concerned will be recorded. Documentary and electronic evidence, if available, will also be examined during the probe. The role of each accused official will be verified. No arrests have been made so far.
Meanwhile, some officials named in the FIR stated that the registration of a case does not confirm the allegations. They said conclusions should only be drawn after the probe is completed.
Bhardwaj, however, has demanded a fair, impartial and time-bound investigation into the matter.
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