ABP News' Bribery Sting: Personal secretaries of 3 UP ministers arrested

Earlier in the case, the state government has also ordered an inquiry by a Special Investigation Team and an FIR was lodged against Om Prakash Kashyap, SP Tripathi, and Santosh Awasthi by the administrative departments of the secretariat.

LUCKNOW: In a prompt response to the bribery sting conducted by ABP News, the three personal secretaries of the UP ministers who were caught 'red-handed' seeking bribe in office were arrested by the Special Investigation Team of UP Police on the charges of corruption and bribery on Saturday. Earlier in the case, the state government has also ordered an inquiry by a Special Investigation Team and an FIR was lodged against Om Prakash Kashyap, SP Tripathi, and Santosh Awasthi by the administrative departments of the secretariat. The state government had immediately constituted an SIT to probe the matter following the sting operation. The secretaries who were caught ‘red-handed’ asking for money in exchange of getting work done, were those of UP Minister of State for Mining, Excise, and Prohibition Archana Pandey, Backward Classes Welfare Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar and UP Minister of State for Education Sandeep Singh. In the sting operation, Om Prakash Kashyap, personal secretary of Backward Welfare Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar is purportedly seen seeking Rs 40 lakh for a transfer. Santosh Awasthi, the secretary to Sandeep Singh, was caught asking for 'appropriate share' in return for books' contract in UP schools, while SP Tripathi secretary to Archana Pandey was caught saying that in a mining contract in Saharanpur there is a possibility of 100 per cent loot. Reacting to the revelation, the Bharatiya Janata Party had said that strict action will be taken against those caught in the bribery sting. It said the party works on 'zero tolerance' on corruption and the chief minister had earlier issued clear instructions to adopt complete honesty in the government's functioning and clarified that the government had a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption. Another state minister Archana Pandey, whose private secretary was also caught in the sting operation, had said a probe will be ordered in the matter and action will be taken against the official if found guilty. WATCH