Panchayat president of village in Tiruvannamalai district arrested for bribery

The Edaipirai village panchayat president was arrested by officials of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) for allegedly demanding and receiving a bribe to give an appointment order for the post of overhead tank (OHT) operator in the village.

The Edaipirai village panchayat president was arrested by officials of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) for allegedly demanding and receiving a bribe to give an appointment order for the post of overhead tank (OHT) operator in the village.

DVAC officials said that the arrested person, S. Jeeva, president of Edaipirai panchayat that comes under the Polur Block in Tiruvannamalai, demanded and received an advance bribe of ₹25,000 from the complainant, who had sought the job of her deceased husband, at the Block Development Office (BDO), Polur.

Aound 12.30 p.m on Friday, a DVAC team led by DSP, V. Velmurugan, caught the panchayat president red-handed. “Based on the complaint, we have arrested the panchayat president. Further investigations are underway,” said Mr. Velmurugan.

An initial inquiry revealed that the complainant, G. Parasakthi, 42, a resident in Edaipirai panchayat, lost her husband, S. Govindasamy, due to illness last December. He was working with the village panchayat as a tank operator of the OHT in the village for more than 15 years until his demise.

The land for the construction of the OHT was given by Mr. Govindasamy many years ago. After her husband’s death, Parasakthi was struggling to make ends meet. She met the panchayat president, highlighting her plight and requested an appointment under compassionate grounds.

However, the panchayat president had demanded ₹4.5 lakh for the job with ₹25,000 to be paid in advance. With the guidance of her brother, S. Rajan, the complainant filed a complaint with the DVAC, following which the panchayat president was arrested on Friday.