Jammu, September 20, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested two Agriculture Department officials and a private person for allegedly demanding and accepting a Rs 15,000 bribe from a beneficiary of the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP) in Jammu and Kashmir.
The accused have been identified as Rajan Sharma, Sub-Divisional Agriculture Officer (SDAO), Abhilashi Sharma, Agricultural Extension Assistant (AEA), and Ashok Kumar, a private person, the CBI said in a statement on Sunday.
The agency registered a case on Saturday after receiving a complaint alleging that the SDAO had demanded Rs 35,000 to facilitate the release of a subsidy under the HADP scheme.
According to the CBI, the SDAO directed the complainant to hand over the bribe either to the AEA or Ashok Kumar.
The agency subsequently laid a trap and allegedly caught the AEA and the private person red-handed while demanding and accepting Rs 15,000 from the complainant.
The CBI later arrested the SDAO from his residence, the statement said.
The arrests come amid increased CBI action against alleged corruption in Jammu and Kashmir. In a separate case, the agency had earlier arrested a probationary J&K Police sub-inspector for allegedly accepting a Rs 10,000 bribe in connection with a matrimonial dispute.
The police officer, Danish Hamid, posted at Janipur Police Station in Jammu, was arrested on August 16, officials said. He allegedly demanded Rs 20,000 from a complainant to drop a threatened FIR linked to the marital dispute, with the amount later negotiated to Rs 10,000. He was allegedly caught while accepting the money and booked in connection with allegations of extortion.
Before the abrogation of Article 370 and the subsequent reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir, the CBI did not have the same jurisdiction over corruption cases involving state officials. Following the reorganisation, the agency has jurisdiction to investigate corruption and bribery offences in the Union Territory under the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, with the required consent and proceedings before designated anti-corruption courts.
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