Ex-Punjab minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu held over ‘scam’ in foodgrains transportation tenders

Transport tender rip-off: The Punjab Vigilance Bureau arrested Congress chief and former minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu on Monday night within the alleged meals grains transportation tenders rip-off. He was arrested from Ludhiana, officers mentioned.

Ashu’s arrest got here hours after he together with different senior Punjab Congress leaders “introduced” themselves on the Vigilance Bureau workplace in Mohali, saying it might detain any of them as they have been fed up with the AAP authorities in Punjab levelling corruption allegations in opposition to them.

Ashu, who’s the Congress’ state unit working president, is the second minister of the earlier authorities within the state to be arrested. In June, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau arrested former minister and Congress chief Sadhu Singh Dharamsot on corruption fees.

The Congress’ Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu mentioned Ashu was picked by the Vigilance Bureau from Ludhiana when he was in a saloon. In keeping with an official assertion earlier, “a case was registered in opposition to former minister of meals, civil provides and client affairs Bharat Bhushan Ashu on Friday within the rip-off of allotting transportation tenders on pretend registration numbers of autos”. 

An inquiry is underway and extra officers of the meals and civil provides division are beneath the scanner, it had said. The Punjab Vigilance Bureau final week mentioned it has registered a case in opposition to three individuals of a agency and a few officers of the state meals and civil provides division for alleged irregularities within the allotment of tenders for labour, cartage and transportation for lifting foodgrains in Ludhiana.

One of many accused, Telu Ram of village Udhanwal in SBS Nagar, was later arrested. Through the investigation, it was discovered that on the time of submitting tenders for the 12 months 2020-21 for labour, cartage and transportation works in Ludhiana, the lists of autos submitted by some contractors had registration numbers of scooters, bikes and vehicles which weren’t verified by the officers as a result of alleged prison connivance with one another, the bureau has alleged.

In keeping with an official assertion on Monday, following verification of a criticism by Gurprit Singh, the case was registered beneath varied provisions of the IPC and beneath the Preventions of Corruption Act at Vigilance Bureau police station Ludhiana through which contractors, together with Telu Ram, have been booked.

“Through the investigation, Telu Ram submitted he met Bharat Bhushan Ashu by way of his private assistant Meenu Malhotra to get tenders for 2020-21 who advised him to satisfy Rakesh Kumar Singla, Deputy Director Meals and Civil Provides.

“Singla was answerable for Punjab being chairman of the departmental chief vigilance committee for tenders and was performing on the instructions of the previous minister. Ram claimed that when he met Singla, he demanded Rs 30 Lakh on behalf of the previous minister. On completely different days he gave a Rs 20 lakh bribe to Singla, and Rs 6 lakh to Meenu Malhotra. He additionally bribed different officers,” the Vigilance Bureau mentioned in a press release after Ashu’s arrest.

A Vigilance Bureau spokesperson mentioned that primarily based on revelations and the fabric proof, Bharat Bhushan Ashu was named as accused on this case. “Throughout Investigation it has come on report that Telu Ram has bought about 20 acres of land and Meenu Malhotra, who’s at giant, has additionally purchased many properties. The report on posting of Rakesh Kumar Singla can be being collected whereas properties accrued by him could be probed,” the spokesperson mentioned.

On Monday, Punjab Congress leaders, together with its chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, protested exterior the Vigilance Bureau workplace in Mohali accusing the AAP authorities of indulging in “vendetta and witch-hunt in Punjab” to divert consideration from the warmth the get together is going through from probe businesses in Delhi.

Moreover Ashu and Warring, former ministers Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa and Rana Gurjeet Singh have been amongst these current on the protest. Congress leaders and staff in Ludhiana additionally staged a protest exterior the bureau’s Ludhiana workplace and raised slogans in opposition to the AAP authorities.

Earlier than Ashu’s arrest, Ravneet Singh Bittu argued with Vigilance officers and requested them to indicate legitimate papers for taking away the previous minister with them. Bittu advised reporters that “jungle raj” is prevailing in Punjab and the AAP authorities had unleashed political vendetta in opposition to its opponents.

“We had all introduced ourselves earlier than the Vigilance Bureau workplace in Mohali. Why did they not detain Ashu there?” he requested.

Additionally Learn: CBI recordsdata preliminary enquiry over ‘corruption’ in procurement, upkeep of buses by Delhi govt

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