After almost three weeks of the arrest of IAS officer Bijay Ketan Upadhyaya in a corruption case, his doctor-wife Tushima Mishra on Friday came out alleging that her husband was innocent and he was a victim of a conspiracy. Refusing to name the conspirators, Dr Mishra, who is a doctor in a Government hospital, also apprehended that there is a threat to her career also.

Upadhyaya, who was working as Director of Horticulture, was arrested by the Vigilance police last month for allegedly seeking a bribe of Rs 1 lakh from a supplier through a manager of a private bank. The manager of the bank, which services the accounts of the horticulture department, was also arrested by the Vigilance in the same case.

Speaking to the media, the IAS officer’s wife questioned her husband’s arrest pointing out that the alleged bribe money was reportedly recovered from the bank manager’s possession. “My husband is an honest officer and he had no role in the said corruption case,” she said repeatedly but refused to name the conspirators.

Ever since his arrest on December 30, Upadhyaya is in judicial remand except only the five days of initial police remand. His bail applications have been rejected by the vigilance court as well as the Khurda District Sessions Court. Also questioning the conduct of the Public Prosecutor during the course of hearings of her husband’s bail pleas in the lower courts, Tushima said her husband was mocked in the courtroom as if he was a terrorist or a rapist.