Vigilance Bureau Registers Case Against Three Accused for Rs 23 Lakh Bribe During Panchayat Elections
Hotel Owner Among Co-Accused Arrested
Chandigarh, December 25
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau has registered a case against Gulab Singh, SDO in the Irrigation Department, Ferozepur, who served as the Returning Officer (RO) for block Ghall Khurd; Davinder Singh, Sub-Inspector of the Agriculture Department, Ferozepur, acting as Assistant Returning Officer (ARO) for the same block; and Rahul Narang, owner of Nivediam Hotel, for accepting a bribe of Rs 23 lakh in exchange for not rejecting nomination papers during the village sarpanch and panchayat elections. Gulab Singh has already been arrested and is currently in jail, while co-accused hotel owner Rahul Narang was arrested today.
An official spokesperson of the Vigilance Bureau (VB) stated that the case was registered after verifying a complaint. The investigation revealed that complainants Hardeep Singh and his brother Jagdev Singh had submitted nomination papers for the sarpanch elections in village Toot, Ferozepur district. Similarly, Sukhjeet Kaur, Rashpal Singh, Manjeet Kaur, and Jagmohan Singh had filed nominations for panchayat member positions.
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According to the spokesperson, after submitting the forms, the complainant visited the residence of accused Davinder Singh in village Wazidpur, where both accused officials, Davinder Singh and Gulab Singh, demanded Rs 15 lakh as a bribe to keep the nomination papers from being rejected. The officials instructed the complainant to deliver the bribe to hotel owner Rahul Narang.
In the presence of his brother and other witnesses, the complainant handed over Rs 15 lakh to Rahul Narang. When inquiring about nominations for other panchayat members, the complainant was asked to pay an additional Rs 8 lakh (Rs 2 lakh per member) as a bribe.
The spokesperson further disclosed that the investigation found Gulab Singh and Davinder Singh had abused their official positions and colluded with hotel owner Rahul Narang to extort Rs 23 lakh from Hardeep Singh. Consequently, a case was registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act at the Ferozepur Range Police Station. Co-accused Rahul Narang has been arrested and will be presented in court tomorrow. The investigation is ongoing.
