Facing strong criticism and sarcasm from regional and national political parties for providing an alleged conman from Gujarat Kiran Bhai Patel Z- plus security and allowing him to inspect and visit various areas including border regions in Kashmir as a senior PMO official over several months, Jammu and Kashmir government on Wednesday appointed a senior IAS officer to probe “various aspects” of Patel’s visits to Kashmir.
The government appointed Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Vijay Kumar Bidhuri as an inquiry officer.
“The inquiry officer shall identify the lapses in part of the officers/officials concerned and submit a detailed report within one week,” the order reads.
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Patel was arrested for posing as a senior official of the Prime Minister’s Officer in Srinagar on March 3. The police insisted that the CID wing of J&K Police gave information to the police about the arrival of an impersonator in Kashmir.
Patel was staying at the Grand Lalit hotel overlooking Dal Lake and had Z- plus security when the police went to arrest him. Since October 2022, he had been claiming himself as Additional Director (Strategy and campaigns) PMO, New Delhi. The police recovered around ten visiting cards and two mobile phones from him.
Patel’s Twitter handle is verified as Dr Kiran J Patel. His bio reads, PHD (Commonwealth Uni, Virginia) MBA (IIM TRICHY), M. Tech (Computer Science), B. E. Computer (L D Engineering), Thinker, Strategist, Analyst, Campaign Manager.
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The National Conference leader Omar Abdullah has already described Patel’s long stay in Kashmir as a PMO official enjoying the security and high-profile protocol as the incompetence of the government. He rejected the assumption that Patel was provided Z-plus security on the recommendations of a deputy commissioner. Omar says the Deputy Commissioner is no one to give security to anyone. “The decision whether to provide security (to anyone) is taken at the Police Headquarters."
"The decision on whether any person should be given the government vehicle is taken at the secretariat. The five-star hotel bill is not cleared by the DC. The Department of Finance does it after a nod from the department of the Protocol. If this is not incompetence then what else it is,” Omar says.
“This man was caught, we don’t know how many other such people are out there,” Omar says. Echoing the same views, former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti says, “while Patel’s conman act has been exposed, the bigger con – of presenting the situation in J&K as normal by creating a parallel and make-believe Kashmir – stands in stark contrast to the actual situation.”
