Punjab Assembly speaker seeks report from DGP in ASI corruption case

Chandigarh, Sep 2 (PTI) Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan on Monday sought a report from the state police chief on a case in which an assistant sub-inspector allegedly received money from a gangster.

Sandhwan asked Gaurav Yadav to file the report by Tuesday.

During the zero hour on the first day of the three-day session of the assembly, the Speaker mentioned an FIR registered against the ASI in Kotkapura in the House.

Sandhwan, who represents the Kotkapura assembly segment as AAP MLA, said the ASI allegedly received money from a gangster through a bank transfer.

Cabinet minister Harpal Singh Cheema said the Speaker has all the powers to call a report from any officer, and there is no need to seek approval of the House for this.

Sharing details about the case, the Speaker said the FIR was registered against the ASI under the relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act on the statement of the gangster.

He said the persons who wanted to save the accused should also be exposed. Later, he got the approval of the House to seek the report after which he directed the Director General of Police to bring a "complete report" by Tuesday.

Earlier, the Speaker asked party MLA and former IPS officer Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh what could be the punishment in such cases.

Singh, the Amritsar North MLA, said that a transfer policy should be implemented to break the nexus. There are such people in police and other departments and they openly challenge the system, he said.

"Who runs the system? Mafia has the biggest role in running a government. The mafia controls each system," the MLA said.

"The entire system is run by the mafia and if we break the mafia rule then 'Ram Rajya' can come," he added.

Congress MLA Pargat Singh claimed that two to three policemen at each station in the state are "drug addicts". He said he had earlier requested that a dope test should be conducted.

Senior Congress leader and leader of opposition Partap Singh Bajwa said if the ASI received money from the gangster, he should have been immediately dismissed and necessary proceedings started against him.

Bajwa also raised the issue of an interview of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, and wanted a report sought in this matter as well.

Bishnoi was interviewed by a private news channel last year when the gangster was in the Punjab police custody in Mohali's Kharar. Another interview was conducted in Rajasthan last year.

Intervening in the matter, Finance Minister Cheema said the Speaker has all the powers to call a report from any officer and therefore, he thinks that there is no need for the permission of the House.

On the Bishnoi case, Cheema said the matter is sub-judice. Cabinet minister Aman Arora suggested that a mechanism in consultation with the chief minister be set up to deal with cases where corruption is established.

"If we bring a single example then it will open the Pandora's box. If we work on pick and choose, then politics will go on and nothing worthwhile will happen," he said.

Meanwhile, Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira said he felt that the Speaker has a "personal vested interest" against the ASI or through him he wanted to target his political opponents.

"This is gross and blatant misuse of the important platform of Vidhan Sabha for personal whims & fancies," said Khaira in a post on X. PTI CHS VSD TIR TIR