M A I N   N E W S

Puar, Sarao arrested, released
Tribune News Service

PATIALA, Oct 24 — The Vigilance Bureau today arrested former Punjabi University Vice-Chancellor Joginder Singh Puar and former Registrar Ranbir Singh Sarao, besides three other senior teachers, with regard to a case registered against them for “irregularities” conducted in the hosting of the National Science Congress in 1993 . All of them were released later following the presentation of a security bond of Rs 50,000 each .

Others who were formally arrested today in connection with a case registered against them in mid 1999 , were Dr S.S. Joshi, Dr Baldev Kumar and Dr J.L. Bhanot .

The Vigilance Bureau Superintendent of Police, Mr B.K. Uppal, disclosed that all accused had been summoned to the bureau today following which they had been formally arrested in the case number 37/99 in which they were accused of misappropriation of funds in the National Science Congress by making of inflated bills for the tenting done during the function . He said other charges registered in the same fir referred to cases of favouritism in appointments and admissions.

Earlier all accused had been granted anticipatory bail by court of the Special Judge last year. The court had directed that they should be released on a security bond of Rs 10,000 or that of the satisfaction of the Investigating Officer.

Mr Uppal said the case was at an advanced stage of investigation . He said the bureau had also arrested the owner of Guptaji Tent House of Delhi Sarwan Kumar Gupta, last week in the same case. He said according to investigations Rs 31 lakh was paid to the tent company when the stocks of the company during that time were not even of the same amount.

A vigilance case had been registered against the former Vice-Chancellor and the former Registrar, besides the other teachers at the fag end of the tenure of Dr J.S. Puar. The case had been registered following a long-drawn agitation by a section of university teachers opposed to the former Vice-Chancellor.