Published Aug 31, 2026 | 6:31 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 31, 2026 | 6:31 PM
Excise Commissioner Seeram Sambasiva Rao IAS and other officials during the covert operation
Synopsis: A covert operation by Kerala Excise Commissioner Seeram Sambasiva Rao has exposed alleged systematic corruption among Excise officials collecting cash, liquor, food and other benefits from bar establishments. ‘Operation Bijapur’ has so far resulted in the suspension of seven officials, including Kottayam Deputy Excise Commissioner, after investigators traced alleged collections through intermediaries, examined CCTV and phone data, and uncovered attempts to delete evidence.
“I am going to Bijapur in Karnataka. I’ll be back in three days.” Excise Commissioner Seeram Sambasiva Rao messaged his colleague before setting out on 27 August.
But Bijapur was not his destination.
Leaving his official vehicle and escort behind, the Commissioner quietly made his way to Kottayam, checked into a bar hotel and began a covert probe into allegations of corruption among his own officers.
The operation, kept away from the department’s local machinery, would eventually lead to the suspension of seven Excise officials, including the Kottayam Deputy Excise Commissioner.
The operation, code-named ‘Operation Bijapur ’, has resulted in the suspension of Kottayam Deputy Excise Commissioner S Asoka Kumar and six other Excise officials over allegations of collecting cash, liquor, food and other benefits from licensed bar establishments.
The action followed a preliminary inquiry into allegations of illegal liquor sales beyond permitted hours and suspected corruption involving Excise personnel attached to Kottayam district, particularly in the Changanassery area.
Also Read: A state rich in corruption
The operation was launched after Excise Minister M Liju received information on 27 August regarding alleged liquor sales beyond permitted hours at three bar hotels in the Changanassery area.
An excerpt from the suspension order
The minister also received complaints on WhatsApp concerning the alleged role of an intermediary said to be operating in connection with the Kottayam Deputy Excise Commissioner.
Independent inputs received from the district had also raised questions about possible violations by licensed establishments and the alleged involvement of members of the enforcement machinery.
Acting on the information, Rao began a confidential verification exercise.
He arrived in Kottayam along with Additional Excise Commissioner R Jayashankar and kept the operation restricted to a small group.
Excise Vigilance officers were brought into the exercise, along with selected personnel connected with the Changanassery Range.
The Commissioner stayed at a bar hotel while gathering inputs. He reportedly met bar managers and owners directly and also contacted some of them over the phone as part of the verification.
On 28 August, a day when liquor outlets were closed due to Sree Narayana Guru Jayanti — a dry day — the Commissioner is also said to have visited certain establishments without revealing his identity while checking the situation on the ground.
The subsequent inquiry focused on allegations that regular payments and other benefits were being collected from licensed bars through intermediaries. Information also emerged about alleged special collections around the Onam period in the names of officials at different levels.
The operation later moved to direct inspections and searches in the Changanassery area. Excise Vigilance personnel conducted inspections at bar establishments, while further inquiries were carried out at premises connected with a bar owner and an alleged intermediary.
It turned out that some Excise officials insist on ‘collections’ (bribery) during license renewal, Onam and Christmas.
Also Read: CID takes IAS officer Gyanendra Kumar Gangwar into custody
The suspension order issued by the Excise Commissioner, on Sunday, 30 August, stated that the preliminary inquiry had found prima facie evidence of ₹55,000 allegedly being collected from four bar establishments — New York Square, Blue Star, Breezeland and Panchavadi — through an intermediary in connection with the Deputy Excise Commissioner.
A separate alleged collection of ₹26,000 from the New York Square Bar also came under the scanner.
According to the inquiry, the amount was handed over to Excise personnel in four envelopes.
The bar was also allegedly providing liquor, beer and food items to certain personnel.
The inquiry found that the Deputy Excise Commissioner had allegedly instructed the manager of New York Square Bar to hand over ₹15,000 to an intermediary, identified as Josy. The order said the money was subsequently handed over to the intermediary at Panchavadi Bar.
In another alleged transaction, ₹26,000 was reportedly handed over in four covers to Civil Excise Officer Visakh AS, in the presence of Preventive Officer Lalu Thankachan.
The preliminary inquiry found that Visakh allegedly passed one of the envelopes to Preventive Officer Santhosh T, while Lalu allegedly retained the remaining three covers.
The department also found prima facie evidence that Lalu Thankachan and Shiju K had received liquor, beer and food items from the establishment.
Preventive Officers M Manuel and Praveen Sivanand were accused of involvement in recurring monetary collections and of receiving articles during visits to bar establishments.
CCTV footage from New York Square Bar at Thrikkodithanam also formed part of the inquiry. The report referred to visits involving Excise personnel on 19, 22 and 24 August.
The investigation took another turn during the searches when the Deputy Excise Commissioner reportedly contacted the intermediary through WhatsApp about an issue involving another bar owner in Changanassery. The investigation team recorded the call and included it among the materials considered during the inquiry.
The Deputy Excise Commissioner was subsequently questioned at his residence during the night.
According to the inquiry, he orally admitted before senior Excise officials and Vigilance personnel that he had received ₹55,000 from four bars through the intermediary. The inquiry found that he later declined to give a written statement.
A further issue arose after his mobile phone was seized for examination. Information available on the device was later found to have been deleted.
The suspension order said the Deputy Excise Commissioner admitted during the inquiry that data had been deleted from his phone after it was seized. Technical assistance was sought to examine the deletion. The department treated the alleged destruction of information as an aggravating circumstance and included it among the grounds for action.
The technical inquiry also examined the possibility of remote access to the device.
The preliminary findings led to the immediate suspension of seven officials while further departmental proceedings continue.
Those suspended are Deputy Excise Commissioner S Asoka Kumar; Preventive Officers M Manuel, Lalu Thankachan, Praveen Sivanand and Santhosh T; Preventive Officer (Grade) Shiju K; and Civil Excise Officer Visakh AS.
Minor-penalty proceedings have also been initiated against Adarsh GL, Excise Range Inspector, Changanassery, over alleged supervisory lapses.
The Excise Department has indicated that the inquiry into the allegations will continue and that further action will depend on the findings of the ongoing proceedings.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
