Punjab Home Minister Under Fire from Cabinet Colleague over Alleged Corruption in Police Transfers

Two-month-old chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s government in poll-bound Punjab finds itself in an embarrassing position, with two senior ministers in the cabinet in a tussle over an alleged corruption scandal involving kickbacks for police transfers. Opposition outfits including the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have sought a probe into allegations of wrongdoing in the transfer of some SSP-rank officials in the state. The issue was reportedly raised by minister Rana Gurjit Singh in a cabinet meeting on Thursday, which was followed by a spat between him and deputy CM and state home minister Sukhjinder Randhawa.

Sources said that following heated arguments in the cabinet meeting after which both Randhawa and Rana left in a huff, the issue was raised with the party’s state incharge Harish Chaudhary on Friday. They added that the controversy has arisen after a new senior superintendent of police (SSP) was inducted in Kapurthala apparently against the wishes of Rana who is from the area.

While Sukhjinder Randhawa has not reacted on the issue, his close associates have denied allegations of wrongdoing in the posting of the officer.

AAP’s Harpal Cheema while raising the issue said CM Channi, who portrays himself as a leader of the common people, is answerable about the postings of police officers done by his government.

SAD leader Bikramjit Majithia said, “It is shocking that cabinet minister Rana Gurjit Singh has accused the home minister of pocketing bribes from police officers. The same accusations were made earlier also in the case of the posting of commissioners of police.”

Majithia said nepotism had touched such heights that all police officers who had been shunted out after 120 persons were killed in the hooch tragedy in Amritsar and Tarn Taran districts were back at their old posts. He said similarly assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Sarabjit Singh, who was accused of selling extra neutral alcohol (ENA)— used for making alcoholic beverages— in Rajpura, had been reposted there.

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