Guwahati, April 27: The Assam Chief Minister’s Vigilance Cell on April 25, 2023 registered a case against Rajya Sabha member Ajit Kumar Bhuyan and 13 others including bureaucrats in connection with the alleged misuse of the Members of Parliament Local Area Development (MPLAD) fund in the State. The case was registered at the court of a special judge on Tuesday, sources said.

The accused include State civil service officers, four of whom were suspended on March 18 after the alleged scam related to the construction of three roads in western Assam’s Barpeta district came to light.

The fund for the road was allocated from Bhuyan’s MPLAD fund but the bill was released without the completion of 75% of the work, officials said. The four suspended officers had signed the bill.

After an investigation, the Vigilance Cell found that the three roads were not constructed and the allocated funds were withdrawn through fake bills.

A former journalist, Bhuyan is the president of Anchalik Gana Morcha, a regional political party. He has been a critic of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act of 2019.