Asst Prof held for seeking bribe from farmer for soil test report

MADURAI: The sleuths attached to DVAC of Dindigul on Wednesday caught red-handed an Assistant Professor Ramesh Pandian from a constituent engineering college of Anna University, Dindigul while taking a bribe of Rs 15,000 from a farmer for issuing soil test report.

Earlier, the complainant M Perumalsamy, a farmer from Sathyanathapuram, Pallapatti, Theni approached Assistant Director of Agriculture, Andipatti for availing ‘savadu’ sand for agriculture purpose and the complainant was asked to collect silt from a nearby tank.

Later, the complainant was asked to approach the constituent engineering college to test the soil and get a final report, sources said. When the complainant met Ramesh Pandian, he demanded a bribe amount of Rs 20,000 and later reduced it to Rs15,000. The complainant then demanded receipt for the amount to be paid, but Ramesh Pandian refused to give any such receipt. Finally, the aggrieved farmer lodged a complaint with the Dindigul DVAC on September 27 seeking action, sources said.