Ropar ex-Civil Surgeon nabbed for forcing doctors to pay bribe

Ropar, March 15

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) today arrested former Ropar Civil Surgeon Parminder Kumar from his Hoshiarpur residence for coercing his subordinates into giving bribes in the form of cash and kind.

Dr Naresh Kumar, who retired as Senior Medical Officer from Nangal on November 30, 2023, had lodged a complaint in December last year on the Chief Minister Anti-Corruption Helpline in this regard. Following this, the authorities had transferred the Civil Surgeon from Ropar to Fazilka, from where he superannuated on January 31.

“Being an SMO, I had to give him Rs 70,000 on three different occasions because he used to threaten me,” Dr Naresh had alleged in his complaint.

He had also alleged that the Civil Surgeon often intentionally transferred duties of doctors in the Ropar Civil Hospital and demanded money to cancel the same. Sometimes, he also transferred their duties to jail and demanded bribery for cancelling them, he alleged.

Dr Naresh also claimed that he had recordings and some details of bank accounts of the Civil Surgeon as evidence to prove his allegations.

According to a press release issued by the VB it was found that the former Civil Surgeon used to harass his subordinate doctors through issuance of unnecessary show-cause notices and unauthorised orders for deputation in order to extract money from them.

It was also established that the accused had demanded bribes from the doctors during a meeting on October 21, 2021, whereupon Dr Tarsem Singh gave him Rs 10,000. Moreover, he also took Rs 20,000 each from Dr Satwinder Pal and Dr Vikrant Saroa as well as made the complainant pay the electricity bill of Rs 2,764 for his residential quarter.

Besides, the regular expenses of Dr Parminder did not match his carry-home salary, said the VB spokesperson.