Patiala, February 25
Patiala Mayor Jaspal Pardhan today resigned from his post two days after a case of murder was registered against him and two others.

Pardhan told TNS late this evening that he had tendered his resignation to SAD secretary and spokesperson Daljit Cheema after receiving instructions from the party high command. Sources said Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal had asked Pardhan to resign.

The Mayor had maintained that he “will not resign till his party asks him to do so”.

Further, the Punjab DGP has ordered the formation of a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the murder of Pardhan’s ‘daughter-in-law’ Parampreet Kaur. The victim’s family has already demanded a CBI probe.

The SIT, comprising IG (Crime) Shashi Prabha Diwedi, DIG Ropar RK Jaiswal and SP (Crime) Balbir Singh, will probe the matter and submit its report to the state government.

The formation of an SIT is a major setback for the district police, which had earlier come under flak for shoddy investigations in the Badshahpur rape and suicide case. In that case too, investigations were handed over to an SIT headed by the ADGP (Crime).

Sources said the Deputy Chief Minister ordered the formation of an SIT to ensure “complete transparency” following reports of political interfere, both from the ruling and the Opposition sides, in the investigations.

“We have received orders to ensure a transparent investigation into the case as the matter is sensitive,” said Jaiswal. “We will meet the victim’s parents and the accused to record their statements,” added Jaiswal, who met the victim’s family and the accused today.