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Foodgrain scam: Punjab VB arrests two DFSCs, initiates proclaimed-offender proceedings against three
The Punjab VB also initiated proclaimed-offender proceedings against dismissed deputy director food and civil supplies RK Singla, two PAs of ex-minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu.
LUDHIANA: The Vigilance Bureau arrested two district food and civil supplies controllers (DFSCs) in the ₹2000 cr food grain transportation scam on Tuesday. The VB has also initiated proclaimed-offender proceedings against three accused – RK Singla, dismissed deputy director of food and civil supplies, Pankaj Kumar alias Menu Malhotra and Inderjit Singh alias Indi, -- personal assistants (PAs) of former food and civil supplies minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu.
The scam is related to the allotment of tenders for the transportation of grains during Ashu’s tenure as food and supply minister in the previous Congress government.
On August 16 2022, the vigilance bureau registered a case against the partners of Gurdas Ram and Company, officials of the state food and civil supplies department, and employees of concerned procurement agencies for allegedly committing irregularities in accepting labour, cartage and transportation tenders for grain markets in Ludhiana district.
An FIR was registered under sections 420 (cheating), 409 (criminal breach of trust), 467 (forgery of valuable security, etc), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document), 120B (party to a criminal conspiracy to commit an offence) of the IPC and sections 7 (2), 8, 12 and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act at the VB police station in Ludhiana.
A total of six accused have been arrested in the case to date. The VB had filed a preliminary chargesheet in the court against Ashu, contractor Telu Ram and commission agent (arhtiya) Krishan Lal Dhotiwala in the court on November 14. Gagandeep Sunny Bhalla, a congress councillor and a loyalist of former congress minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, was also arrested by VB on October 12. Later, VB gave him a clean chit, stating that Bhalla had no involvement in the scam.
VB spokesperson said that during the investigation into the scam, the names of DFSCs Sukhwinder Singh Gill (then DFSC Ludhiana-West) and Harveen Kaur (then DFSC Ludhiana East) popped up. Sukhwinder Singh Gill is posted as DFSC, Faridkot, and Harveen Kaur is posted as DFSC, Jalandhar. The VB arrested them from different locations.
“Sukhwinder Singh Gill and Harveen Kaur were members /conveners of the district-tender committee at the time of allotment of the above-said tenders. They, along with other members of the committee, were responsible for checking the relevant documents attached to the tenders, including the list of transport vehicles. But they had not verified the registration numbers of vehicles, intentionally, as the number of scooters and motorcycles was mentioned in the attached list of vehicles. Despite the submission of wrong documents, the above said officers allotted tenders to their favourite contractors by accepting bribe money from them,” said the spokesperson.
“As per the investigation, Sukhwinder Singh had taken ₹2 lakh and an Apple iPhone as a bribe, while Harveen Kaur had taken ₹3 lakh as a bribe from the accused contractor Telu Ram. Both accused will be produced in court tomorrow. Efforts are on to arrest the remaining accused,” he added.
VB first arrested Telu Ram and later nominated Ashu in the case. Ashu was arrested on August 22 from a salon in Ludhiana amid high drama.
Ashu is lodged in Patiala Jail, and the Punjab and Haryana high court has already dismissed his bail application.
