Ranchi, Jharkhand: Success can be fleeting, and a single scandal can overshadow an entire lifetime of achievement. This was the fate of Sajal Chakraborty, a brilliant IAS officer from a military family, whose promising career ended in controversy and personal tragedy.
Early Life and Academic Journey
Sajal Chakraborty was an exceptionally bright student, but his mind often wandered. Born into a family with a strong military tradition, he was initially selected for the Military College, Dehradun, but left midway due to lack of interest. He then moved to Pune for further studies and began working as a journalist alongside his academics. Returning to Ranchi, he enrolled at St. Xavier’s College and simultaneously worked as a reporter for the English newspaper New Republic. His sharp reporting quickly drew attention.
Rising Ambitions: From Journalist to IAS
While working at the newspaper, a colleague once mocked him, asking if he thought he was an IAS officer. This remark struck a chord with Chakraborty, motivating him to prepare for the UPSC Civil Services Examination. With little else to do, he threw himself into the preparation, and in 1980, he secured a place in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), initially allocated to the Bihar cadre (later Jharkhand after state bifurcation).
Career and the Chara Scam
Chakraborty rose through the ranks and served as the Deputy Commissioner (Collector) of Chaibasa from 1992 to 1995. However, his career was derailed by the Chaibasa Treasury Scam (Chara Ghotalo), the same case in which former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad Yadav was convicted. Chakraborty was first jailed in 1998 for 18 months. Despite being acquitted by the Jharkhand High Court in 2012, the Supreme Court later overturned the acquittal, and the special CBI court sentenced him to five years’ rigorous imprisonment in 2017. He spent over two years in jail before being released on bail.
Personal Struggles and Loneliness
Chakraborty’s personal life was equally turbulent. He was married twice, both marriages ending in failure, and had no children. By the time of his death in 2020, he had lost his parents and brother, leaving him completely alone. Serious illness, public humiliation from the Chara scam, and the isolation of his later years pushed him into deep depression. All the prestige, wealth, and power he had achieved could not shield him from despair.
Legacy of a Tragic Life
Despite his intelligence and dedication, Sajal Chakraborty’s life ended in sorrow. A talented IAS officer and former Chief Secretary of Jharkhand, he passed away in Bangalore in 2020, almost entirely alone, his career and personal life overshadowed by scandal. His story remains a stark reminder of how even the brightest careers can be undone by controversy and human frailty.