Ansari was allegedly killed by contractors for exposing the criminal-administration nexus in embezzling Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, MGNREGA, funds.
A two-member inquiry team headed by Ministry’s secretary, B.K. Sinha, in his report, found that the allegation that Ansari was killed by Naxalites was a ploy to cover up the murder and to protect local contractors and officials.
The team has also called for serious action against Latehar Deputy Commissioner Rahul Purwar for alleged dereliction of duty and failure to prevent funds from schemes under the MGNREGA being siphoned off.
On the evening of March 2nd, a few days after he had successfully exposed flagrant corruption and misappropriation of MGNREGA funds in the Rankikalan Gram Panchayat, Niyamat Ali was accosted by a dozen lathi wielding men.
They pounced on an unarmed Niyamat and beat him to death. MGNREGA is the government’s biggest welfare project targeting the poorest of poor in the rural heartland of the country. It guarantees employment of a minimum of 100 days in a financial year to the adult members of rural families, who volunteer to do unskilled manual work. The government of India and the state governments have funded the programme generously; more than Rs. 40000 Cr. were allocated to it last year. More than 4.7 Cr. families enrolled under MGNREGA.