Punjab VB arrests former minister Gilzian’s nephew in corruption case

Daljit Singh Gilzian is accused of acting as a middleman to collect bribes and kickbacks on behalf of his uncle and former Punjab forest minister Sangat Singh Gilzian, who is facing corruption charges

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Wednesday arrested Daljit Singh Gilzian, nephew of former forest minister Sangat Singh Gilzian, for allegedly acting as a middleman to collect bribes and kickbacks on behalf of his uncle, who is facing corruption charges.

Daljit Singh Gilzian was arrested from his residence in Sector 37, Chandigarh.

Daljit was arrested from his residence in Sector 37, Chandigarh. Disclosing this, a VB spokesperson said the arrest was made on the basis of investigations after crucial leads were found in a diary maintained by a forest contractor who was nabbed earlier.

The contractor, Harminder Singh Hammi, confessed that he had given ₹5 lakh as bribe to Gilzian for issuance of a permit for cutting of khair trees at Nada village in Mohali district, said the spokesperson.

Gilzian remained the forest minister during the previous Congress regime. He had succeeded Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, who has already been arrested in the corruption case registered against the two former Congress ministers, their private aides and others on June 6. On Tuesday, a Mohali court had dismissed Gilzian’s anticipatory bail plea, terming the allegations against him of “serious nature”.

The VB spokesperson said probe into alleged irregularities in the procurement of tree guards during Gilzian’s tenure in September 2021 revealed that his nephew Daljit Singh was “directly involved in government and non-government affairs on behalf of the minister”.

“Daljit had been issuing instructions directly to the officials of the department for his personal interests. Besides, he had talked to the top officials of the department and private contractors, and used his influence in making government payments besides in supplying of tree guards procured by the department, illegal mining and issuance of permits for felling of khair trees,” said the spokesperson, adding that the VB has both verbal and technical evidence to support the allegations.