Days after Director General of Prison, Delhi, Sandeep Goel was accused of receiving ₹12.5 crore from alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar, Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Friday transferred him asking him to report to the Police Headquarters for “further orders”, Raj Niwas officials said.
Mr. Saxena appointed 1989-batch IPS officer Sanjay Beniwal as the new DG, Prison, the official added. He was earlier posted as the Special Commissioner, Perception Management and Media Cell.
Mr. Chandrashekhar had, in a letter to the L-G in October which came out in public on Tuesday, accused Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Minister Satyender Jain, who earlier held the Jail portfolio, and Mr. Goel of demanding “protection money” from him for his safety and facilities in jail back in 2019. He added that he “paid ₹10 crore and ₹12.5 crore” in total to Mr. Jain and Mr. Goel, respectively. Mr. Goel had refused to comment on the allegations.
Under Mr. Goel’s tenure, several extortion rackets and hit jobs allegedly taking place from inside the Tihar prison came to the fore.
Popular Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala’s murder was also alleged to have been hatched from inside the Tihar prison by notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.
Incidents of mobile phones being smuggled inside the jail through inmates by hiding them inside their body cavities or through connivance of prison staff were also reported during his tenure.
In order to curb such incidents, Mr. Goel installed an in-house dog squad, several mobile jammers and fishing nets at the three prisons — Tihar, Mandoli, and Rohini jail.
