The name of Sandesh Kumar Jain, Deputy Director (Administration) at AIIMS Bhopal, is being discussed everywhere these days. The reason is not just his administrative position or responsibilities, but his expensive iPhone, CUG connection and the biggest thing – his controversial identity – all these have brought him into the limelight. This is not just limited to the personal image or working style of an officer, but it also raises questions on the functioning of the entire system, the responsibility of the media and the transparency of institutions.
The most interesting thing about the situation is that there is hardly anyone in Bhopal who does not consider Sandesh Jain as an IPS officer. This perception has become so deep-rooted among the people that they have come to know him as’ IPS Sahab ‘. Surprisingly, the media also referred to Jain as an IPS officer several times without checking the facts, which further strengthened the misconception. While the truth is that procedures like UPSC selection, year and cadre are mandatory to become an IPS, which Jain never completed. This has been cleared in the investigation, but the silence of the media and the administration itself has completely established this illusion.
This is a unique example of how a ‘tag’ – whether true or false – can change a person’s identity, influence and status overnight. The IPS tag raised Jain’s social and institutional status considerably. People respect him as a top police officer, take his words without question, and it has become almost impossible to challenge his decisions in the institution. This false image not only changed his personal identity but also strengthened his institutional hold. It has also been observed that they also found a special place in media coverage, increasing both their popularity and reach.
The administration has remained silent in this regard. Neither the AIIMS management issued any clear statement, nor the media corrected its mistake. This gives the impression that either the system is not paying attention to this mistake, or is deliberately trying to suppress this issue. Many experts believe that such confusion in an institution of national importance not only hurts the trust but also raises questions on the credibility and transparency of the institution.
Now the question arises whether Jain himself ever claimed to be an IPS? Or did they take advantage of this confusion by remaining silent? Many local sources point out that Jain never explicitly called himself an IPS, nor did he try to dispel the confusion. Perhaps it was clear to them how much this tag was beneficial to them, so they continued to take advantage of it quietly. Not only this, it is also common in the inner circles of the institute that the influence of Jain is more than the director. The role of the director is only a ceremonial one, with the actual administrative and financial decisions being taken by the Jains. It also casts doubt on the balance of power and the process of accountability in the institution.
At the same time, the case of expensive iPhone and CUG connection is also in the public eye. According to sources, Jain bought expensive iPhones for himself and the director from the funds of AIIMS, while the CUG operator has also not been decided yet. It is important to ask why such an expensive phone was bought with public money when there are repeated instructions to stop wasteful expenditure in government institutions. Couldn’t a normal phone do government work? If he had a penchant for expensive phones, shouldn’t it have come from his personal salary? This is not only a matter of financial discipline but also of moral accountability.
The local hold of Sandesh Jain is also amazing. His local networking is very strong due to his studies and long association with Bhopal. Moreover, political patronage also multiplies their strength. His personal relations with Health Minister Rajendra Shukla and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan are common. Locals say that Jain has taken full advantage of these political connections, which has increased his clout in the institute so much that hardly any employee or official dares to question him directly.
When our team tried to contact him, the response was always the same – “Saheb is in the meeting. “Whether it was the landline of AIIMS or mobile, or trying for a personal meeting, every time the communication was deferred on some pretext or the other. This also suggests that they are currently trying to avoid accountability to the media or the public.
Overall, this entire episode is not just a matter of an officer’s personal ambition and image building, but it shows how important the role of identification of right and wrong, transparency, accountability and media is in our institutions. When a person can get so high just by a tag and the confusion of the media, it also exposes the weaknesses of our system. In an institution like AIIMS, which is a symbol of the country’s trust and health system, such incidents not only break trust but also force us to think whether position, identity and clout are all that matter, or transparency, honesty and accountability also matter?
According to local sources, Dr. Ajay Singh made many appointments at will, one of them is the name of Gyanendra Bhushan. In his appointment, rules were kept aside and many important things were hidden. Now the deputation of Gyanendra Bhushan is going to end in March. For this officer, Sandesh Jain has sought service extension from the Ministry through the Director.
This raises the real question of whether this service expansion is being done only because of institutional needs, or because of prior administrative influence and personal networks.
Read in our next edition… The trio of Madhavanandkar, Sandesh and Gyanendra , in AIIMS Bhopal edition. Send an email to get the add-on: nationalpillar333@gmail.com। If you also have any corruption, let us know in the mail.