MP: Excise official suspended following liquor contractor's bribe allegations before suicide

Dewas, Dec 6 (PTI) Days after a video of a liquor contractor purportedly accusing an excise official of driving him to suicide with her demands of bribe surfaced, the Madhya Pradesh commercial tax department on Saturday suspended her.

"It is learnt from social media and newspapers" that liquor contractor Dinesh Makwana had levelled allegations against Mandakini Dixit, in-charge assistant excise commissioner at Dewas, before ending his life, said the suspension order signed by deputy secretary of the commercial tax department.

The action was being taken as the allegations were prima facie serious, it said.

While Dixit has denied the allegations, no First Information Report has been registered yet though investigation is underway, police said.

Makwana (40) who operated five liquor shops in Dewas district after winning the government contract for these outlets, died after allegedly consuming poison on November 8 in Dewas.

His family filed a complaint with Kanadiya police station on November 29, seeking an inquiry into his death, following which a probe was started, said Assistant Commissioner of Police Kundan Mandlo.

In the video, Makwana was heard stating that Dixit had demanded monthly bribe from him and he had already made a payment to her. She did not allow goods from the warehouse to be transported until money was paid to her, he purportedly alleged.

He was ending his life for this reason, he further said.

According to police sources, Dixit submitted a complaint to the Dewas superintendent of police on November 24, alleging that Makwana's mother and two others had threatened to circulate the video if she did not pay them a huge sum of money.

The allegations against her were false and Makwana's family was trying to blackmail her, Dixit alleged. PTI LAL KRK