Punjab DIG arrest: 'Unfortunate' this happened despite large administrative set-up, says governor

Chandigarh, Oct 17 (PTI) Reacting to the arrest of the Punjab DIG in a bribery case, Governor Gulab Chand Kataria on Friday, in an apparent swing at the AAP government's anti-corruption drive, said it was "unfortunate" that despite having a significant administrative set-up, the government was unable to detect the corruption.

On Thursday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Punjab Deputy Inspector General of Police (Ropar Range) Harcharan Singh Bhullar, along with another person, in connection with a corruption case involving bribery of Rs 8 lakh.

When asked about the CBI's arrest of the officer despite the Punjab government's ongoing anti-corruption campaign, Kataria remarked, "It is easy to talk about it, but implementing it on the ground is difficult." "Efforts should be made to make it as successful as possible", he further said in an apparent reference to the state government's anti-corruption campaign.

Regarding the CBI action against Bhullar, Kataria stated, "Somebody made an effort, and such a significant issue came to light, forcing us to consider that it is happening right under our noses, which means we are also at fault." Speaking to reporters in Nabha, Patiala, the governor added that the true picture would only emerge after the investigation concludes.

Commenting on Bhullar's CBI arrest, Kataria said, "Upon reading about it (in the media), it appears that if such a large amount had been recovered at this stage, we must question what has been happening and why we failed to notice it for so long." "But when we have such a large administrative set-up in place, the inability to detect this corruption reflects a deeply unfortunate situation," he added.

Referring to media reports about the substantial recovery of cash from the DIG's home, Kataria noted, "The newspapers report that Rs 7 crore was recovered from his house. One can imagine this amount wasn't accumulated in a single day." "Despite having a high-ranking police officer and a large administrative machinery, it took outside intervention (the CBI) to uncover the issue, which means we have to introspect, Kataria stated.

The CBI recovered around Rs 7.50 crore cash, 2.50 kg of gold jewellery, documents of over 50 immovable properties, keys of two luxury vehicles, 26 luxury watches, locker keys, firearms, along with 100 cartridges during a raid at Bhullar's residence, officials said. PTI CHS VSD MPL MPL