Staff Reporter
YUPIA, 16 Oct: The sessions court here in Papum Pare district has issued a summons to former home minister Bamang Felix, directing him to appear before the court on 9 December in connection with a petition filed against him over alleged disproportionate assets owned by him.
Addressing mediapersons at the Arunachal Press Club on Wednesday, petitioner Tai Shiva informed that since 2022, several complaints have been submitted against Felix, alleging misuse of public funds amounting to around Rs 455 crore, particularly under the 14th and the 15th Finance Commissions, in the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department.
Shiva said that complaints were lodged with the chief secretary-cum-chief vigilance officer and the Special Investigation Cell, but “no inquiry or progress has been made in the case so far.”
He further alleged that Felix was involved in illegal appointments in the Panchayati Raj Department, acquisition of multiple properties in Papum Pare district and the capital region, and collection of large sums from contractual employees under the pretext of job regularization.
“Upon enquiry, we found several immovable properties in areas like Itanagar, Jollang, and Chessa under his name. We questioned how such assets were acquired and what their sources were,” Shiva said.
Expressing disappointment over the police’ inaction, Shiva said, “When we found that the police remained silent on our FIR, we were compelled to approach the court. We are glad that the court has responded positively by summoning Felix. We hope the court will direct the police to investigate the source of these properties.”
He also appealed to Chief Minister Pema Khandu to remove Felix from his current position as the chief minister’s adviser to ensure a free and fair investigation.
Despite repeated attempts, Felix could not be reached for his response to the allegations.
