Date:04/06/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/06/04/stories/2008060458420100.htm

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Assam Minister arrested by CBI

Vinay Kumar

NEW DELHI: Assam’s Education Minister Ripon Bora on Tuesday was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation from a guesthouse here while allegedly paying Rs. 10 lakhs as bribe to an officer of the investigating agency. Mukul Pathak and Ramesh Maheshwari, said to be the Minister’s associates, were also arrested.

Mr. Bora, a senior Minister in the Tarun Gogoi-led Congress government, was a suspect in a murder case that was being probed by the CBI on the direction of the Gauhati High Court. The case pertained to the killing of tribal leader Daniel Topno in 2000. The investigation was handed over to the CBI last year by the court.

“The Minister had approached the officer probing the case through a middleman for negotiating the outcome of the investigation,” the CBI said. The officer made a complaint and a trap was laid. A case, under Section 120-B (conspiracy) and Sections 12 and 9 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, has been registered.

Gogoi drops Minister

Sushanta Talukdar reports from Guwahati:

Mr. Gogoi on Tuesday night dropped Mr. Bora from his Ministry. Mr. Gogoi’s Press Adviser Debo Kumar Bora told The Hindu that the Chief Minister informed Governor Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Ajay Singh that the Minister was being dropped from the Council of Ministers with immediate effect. The Governor promptly accepted the recommendation and informed Mr. Gogoi about it, the Press Adviser said over telephone from New Delhi.

Mr. Gogoi, who is in New Delhi, is scheduled to return to Guwahati on Wednesday.