Pesticide scam: 3 yrs on, challan against agriculture officials yet to be filed

It has been three years but the district police were yet to file chargesheet against three agriculture officials who were arrested with money allegedly extorted from pesticide dealers during their visit to check the quality of pesticides here in July 2016.
Agriculture joint director Sarabjit Singh Kandhari and agriculture development officers (ADO) Gurdyal Kumar and Vivek Shankar were arrested by the police on the night of July 21, 2016, from a hotel on Barnala by-pass here.
The three were on official visit to collect samples of pesticides from different godowns and shops of Bathinda to check the quality of the same. The quality inspection of pesticides holds importance in the backdrop of 2015 pesticide scam when a large scale cotton crop was damaged owing to whitefly pest attack due to alleged supply of spurious pesticides.
Officials suspended and reinstated
The three had allegedly demanded money from pesticide dealers threatening them not to clear their samples. On information, a team of Civil Lines police station had arrested three with a cash of ₹4.50 lakh allegedly extorted from dealers. A case under Section 384 (extortion) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under Section 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 was registered against them. They were suspended from the service but were later reinstated.
Kandhari at present is serving as joint director (extension and training). Gurdyal is ADO Mohali while Vivek Shankar is also posted as ADO at headquarters of the department. Kandhari is to superannuate from service on December 31. Interestingly, he has also applied for extension in service post retirement, said sources.
‘Clearance for chargesheet awaited from home dept’
Station House Officer Civil Lines police station inspector Ravinder Kumar said that they had sought permission from the department of home to file chargesheet against three but it had raised some points and we have again sent the file seeking permission to file chargesheet against them. Bathinda senior superintendent of police (SSP) Nanak Singh couldn’t be contacted despite repeated attempts.
An agriculture department official on condition of anonymity said that three were reinstated due to pending inquiry but were not given any major assignment.
Secretary, department of agriculture, Kahan Singh Pannu said the department can dismiss three from service only if they were convicted by a court. “The three were suspended on the basis of a parallel department inquiry,” he said. He declined to comment on Kandhari having applied for extension in service.
Punjab agriculture minister’s resignation was sought
Earlier, claiming the three senior officials were part of the pesticide scam, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had demanded Punjab agriculture minister Tota Singh’s resignation.
In a joint statement, AAP spokesperson Sukhpal Singh Khaira, Kanwar Sandhu and Aman Arora had accused the state government of shielding the real culprits in the case. “This extortion was being done at the behest of agriculture minister Tota Singh and deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal. The agriculture department’s senior officials were mere ‘conduits’ for collecting money for their political purpose,” Khaira had said.
-
'Why not women?' Karnataka Congress leader slams party over ticket distribution
Karnataka Congress general secretary Kavitha Reddy lashed out at her party for not giving 'fair representation to women' while picking candidates for the June 3 Legislative Council elections, news agency ANI reported Wednesday. In a self-made video, Reddy said that it is 'disturbing' to see that women have not been given representation in the state legislative council. The Congress has announced M Nagaraju Yadav and K Abdul Jabbar as its candidates.
-
PM Modi and Karnataka CM announce ex-gratia for Hubli road accident victims
Eight people were killed and about 26 others were injured in an accident involving a private bus and a truck on the Hubballi-Dharwad bypass road during the early hours of Tuesday, police said. The bus was heading from Kolhapur in Maharashtra to Bengaluru, while the truck was coming in the opposite direction. The incident occurred when the bus driver allegedly lost control while trying to overtake a tractor and hit the truck head-on, police said.
-
Furry tales: Pet parents vs boarding centres
These centres make it easier for pet parents to tend to their travel needs while being assured that their bundle of joy is taken care of. “I have had bad experiences twice at different boarding centres,” shares a Gurugram-based educator, Parul Gupta, who feels that a big challenge that pet parents face while leaving their furry baby, is the temperament issue of other pets residing there.
-
Section 144 imposed around disputed mosque in Mangaluru
Large gatherings have been banned within 500 metres of a mosque in Karnataka's Mangaluru after a Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader warned of a 'Ram Mandir-like campaign' in the fight for control of premises on which a Hindu temple-like architectural design was reportedly found. Mangaluru authorities imposed Section 144 at 8 pm Tuesday and this will be in place till 8 am Thurrsday.
-
Karnataka local body polls: HC gives 12 weeks for delimitation, reservations
The Karnataka high court has extended the deadline for the state government to hold local body elections, which include zilla and taluk panchayat polls and those for the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). The Supreme Court had ordered that all states and union territories in the country must hold pending elections to their local bodies within two weeks while hearing a case pertaining to Madhya Pradesh earlier this month.