Bribery case: Not enough action against SDM, cop, say Congress MLAs

PATIALA: The four Congress MLAs of Patiala district, who had accused some bureaucrats of being corrupt and non-responsive, on Friday again took up the matter saying efforts were still being made to 'protect' the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) accused of seeking Rs 7 lakh bribe and the former in-charge of Samana crime investigation agency (CIA) who had allegdly 'tapped' the cellphone of local MLA Rajinder Singh.
The four MLAs - Hardial Kamboj from Rajpura, Madan Lal Jalalpur from Ghanour, Rajender Singh from Samana and Nirmal Singh from Shutrana - had during the meeting of the district grievance redressal committee held last month at the district administrative complex, under cabinet minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, had red-flagged several issues in the working of the bureaucracy.
Congress chief whip Kamboj had accused the Patiala SDM of demanding Rs 10 lakh from the Sular village sarpanch and then bring down the price to Rs 7 lakh after he spoke to the Rajpura MLA. The SDM was transferred the same day and asked to report at the department of personnel in Chandigarh. The Patiala deputy commissioner (DC) was asked to conduct an inquiry into the matter and submit a report within 48 hours.
Kamboj said the inquiry report has not been made public and no further action has been taken against the SDM. "We demand that the inquiry report should be made public," he said.
In the second case, former Samana CIA incharge, Vijay Kumar, and personal assistant of Congress MLA from Bhucho Mandi, Jonny Mittal, were booked for kidnapping and extorting of Rs 30 lakh from a Bathinda businessman after the MLAs raised the issue. Both Kamboj and Nirmal had on Thursday even accompanied the main complainant in the case to the office of the vigilance bureau for recording of his statement.
Vijay was posted at Samana when MLA Rajinder had accused him of 'tapping' his phone. He was transferred to Nabha and later a case was registered against him.
Kamboj said it was on the instructions of state party president Sunil Jhakar that they went along the complainant for the recording of his statement. He said all four MLAs were dissatisfied as he was being investigated only on the charges of kidnapping and extortion, while no action had been taken against him for tapping the phone. He said concerned officials should have been dismissed from the service.
The four MLAs are maintaining that they would be raising all these issues in the state assembly during the next session.