New Delhi, June 18 (IANS) Alleging that the CBI  was being used as a tool by the government to benefit itself, the civil society members of the Lokpal bill joint drafting committee Saturday said the investigative agency should be brought under the control of an independent Lokpal.

 
 "The CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) should be made effective by placing its anti-corruption branch under the control of an independent Lokpal. This will free it of government control which will ensure adequate resources and independent working," said a statement issued by the members.
 
 "At present, CBI works completely under the clutches of the government. It helps government to scuttle all investigations against its own people and arm-twist political opponents into submission," it added.
 
 The members accused the government of keeping the CBI under its control, starving it of funds, adequate and trained personnel, and modern equipment and imposing restrictions on its functioning, thus ensuring its inefficiency.
 
 Slamming the government's argument that the Lokpal bill should tackle corruption cases dealing with higher-ranked officials, the members said that junior employees were equally important as "corruption starts from below".
 
 "Case studies reveal that on file, corruption starts from below, while the role of senior officers becomes visible at later stages of investigation," said the statement.
 
 "If the junior officers are not investigated by a credible agency, the investigation by seniors will never come to light. Many Lokayuktas have repeatedly said this," it added.
 
 According to them, the government was trying to advertise its intent to keep the "big fish" in check, whereas it actually was ensuring that the results of any corruption probe into government functioning would lead to entirely sterile results.