M A I N   N E W S

Badal orders FIR against six vigilance officials
Had framed patwari to settle a personal score
Kanchan Vasdev/TNS

Chandigarh, July 27
Misusing “official powers to settle a personal score and framing a patwari in a false case” has landed six officials of the Vigilance Bureau in a soup. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has ordered the registration of a criminal case against a joint director, two serving SSPs, an inspector, a former SSP and a SP after they were indicted by an inquiry.

These officials are SSP, Moga, Surjit Singh Grewal; former SSP, Ferozepur, Jaspal Singh; former SSP (Patiala), Shiv Kumar Sharma (now retired); a retired SP, Banarasi Dass; Inspector Isher Singh; and serving joint director, Surinderpal Singh.

Chief Secretary Rakesh Singh told The Tribune that Badal had ordered the registration of the FIR in the case yesterday. “These officials will now be booked by the police under appropriate Sections.”

Action against these officials follows indictment in an inquiry conducted by former Special Principal Secretary to CM Kahan Singh Pannu. He had held these officials guilty of “abusing power to settle a personal score and framing an innocent person (a patwari).” Pannu had recommended the registration of the FIR.

In his report, Pannu had concluded that the officers connived directly or indirectly to falsely implicate patwari Mohan Singh in a corruption case pertaining to the paddy scam in Punsup (Punjab State Civil Supplies Corporation). He had submitted his report on April 30 to Punjab Chief Secretary recommending further action.

Mohan suffered the frame-up for seeking Rs 20 as government fee from Shiv Kumar Sharma in November 2009 for mutating his land at Rurki village in Fatehgarh Sahib in the name of Sharma’s son. This offended the SSP who threatened to frame the patwari. And finally, he carried out the threat, said the inquiry report.

The report that revealed shocking facts said, “Sharma abused power and through Jaspal Singh, Banarsi Dass and Isher Singh implicated the patwari in a false case.”

Interestingly, all these officers had worked under Sharma, while they were posted in Patiala.

According to the report, Jaspal Singh and Banarsi Dass were directly involved in the frame-up at Sharma's behest.

The then Jalandhar range VB SSP Surjit Singh Grewal was indicted for his role in threatening Mohan Singh not to seek information under the RTI Act against Sharma.

On Surinderpal Singh's role, the report said he bypassed rules by not putting up the file concerned before the DGP and even tampered with records to 'oblige' Sharma.

Pannu had recommended stern legal action against these officials.