Jammu and Kashmir, India

India's leading crime investigation agency raided the residence of former governor of Jammu and Kashmir Satya Pal Malik on Thursday (Feb 22) over alleged corruption in a hydropower project, media reports said.

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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been probing the corruption of the contract awarded to the Kiru Hydroelectric project, news agency ANI said citing sources. The probe agency also carried out raids at dozens of other locations.

The scrutiny is related to graft allegations in the contract extended to a private firm in 2019. The contract was worth a whopping Rs 2,200 crore or $30.8 billion. 

Upon a request from the Jammu and Kashmir government, which focused on looking into the malpractice allegations, a case was registered against the private firm's former chairman, Chenab Valley Power Projects (CVPPPL) directors, the Managing Director, a private firm, and several others (names of which are not disclosed) on the allegations of malpractices. 

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Earlier as well, several searches have been conducted into the case. CBI on December 2 last year raided as many as six places in the Indian capital city of Delhi, and other locations such as Noida, Shimla, and Chandigarh. Similarly, CBI on January 29 also raided about eight locations in Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir.

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Malik was the Jammu and Kashmir governor from August 23, 2018, to October 30, 2019. As per him, the former governor was offered a bribe for giving the green light to two files, one of which was the project.

CBI, on Thursday (Feb 22), raided the residences of Malik at R K Puram, Asian Games Village, and Dwarka in Delhi. Apart from these, other places at Gurugram and Baghpat were also raided, media reports said citing officials. 

Raids were also carried out on Malik's alleged associates, officials of Patel Engineering Limited, and former chairman of the Chenab Valley Power Projects Private Limited Navin Kumar Chaudhary. 

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"I have been ill for the last 3-4 days and am admitted to the hospital. Despite this, my house is being raided by the dictator through government agencies. My driver and my assistant are also being raided and harassed unnecessarily. I am a farmer's son, I will not be afraid of these raids. I am with the farmers," Malik wrote on X.

According to the CBI, various searches till now have led to the recovery of digital devices, computers, as well as other material such as property documents, and other "incriminating" documents. Additionally, a cash seizure of nearly Rs 2.1 million was also made. 

(With inputs from agencies)