Tatra deal: BEML Chairman VRS Natarajan suspended

Ministry of Defence (MoS) on Monday suspended Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML) chief VRS Natarajan in connection with the Tatra case. The Defence ministry spokesperson on Monday confirmed the suspension.

The Government has put the CMD of BEML Shri VRS Natarajan under suspension following a recommendation by the CBI that he should be kept away from the post to ensure fair investigation. The charge of CMD has been given to Shri P Dwarkanath, the senior most functional Director in BEML. The CBI is currently investigating into various charges against Natarajan.

Former army chief General VK Singh had claimed that the Tatra trucks sold to the army were not only grossly overpriced but also sub-standard in terms of quality and operation.

In a startling revelation, General VK Singh had also alleged that a former army officer offered him a Rs 14 crore bribe for clearing the order to supply an additional 600 Tatra trucks to the army.

Earlier, BEML said it will file a defamatory suit against General Singh for making false and motivated charges against the state-run company in the controversial Tatra trucks deal.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is probing the charge.