‘Happy if someone gives willingly’: Madhya Pradesh engineer suspended over bribe remark

The Madhya Pradesh government has suspended a Panna-based Water Resources Department engineer, C B Ahirwar, following allegations of accepting bribes voluntarily. Ahirwar made the remarks to the media on October 28, stating that he was happy to accept money given willingly, even if he did not demand it. This statement sparked controversy and went viral on social media.

The suspension order, issued by the department on October 30, described Ahirwar's conduct as "unbecoming" of a government servant and a violation of the state's service rules. The decision to suspend Ahirwar came two days after the Lokayukta police caught two of his department employees allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 45,000 from a contractor.

Ahirwar denied demanding money from contractors and maintained that accepting money given willingly was not a crime, though he acknowledged that it was illegal. The suspension order cited Ahirwar's remarks as reflecting indiscipline and falling under the category of misconduct under the Madhya Pradesh Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1965.