Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], October 18 : Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Saturday expressed shock over the arrest of a senior police officer in Punjab over a bribery case. He also slammed Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann over his silence on the development.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday said it has arrested a senior Indian Police Service officer of the 2009 batch, presently posted as Deputy Inspector General of Police in Punjab, on charges of bribery.
DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar was taken into custody by CBI after being caught for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 8 lakh through a private middleman to "settle" a police case and protect a businessman's interests.
"A DIG in Punjab is arrested by the CBI and Rs 7.5 Cr in cash, 2.5 kg gold, 25 luxury watches and documents of over 50 immovable properties are recovered in searches by CBI," SAD president Badal said in a post on X.
"The images have shocked everyone in the state but the CM who also holds the home portfolio continues to remain silent even after 48 hours having passed! Why?" he added.
He asked what the state vigilance headed by the CM was doing, or whether they were under instructions from the CM to turn a blind eye.
"Another unprecedented development which has got the people of the state thinking is that the CBI did not seek a single day's police remand of the DIG despite such huge recoveries," he said.
"How will we know where the money came from and whose coffers it was ultimately meant to fill?" he asked.
The SAD president also asked whether a cover-up and protection operation had been launched.
https://x.com/officeofssbadal/status/1979509716528382253
Harcharan Singh Bhullar was remanded to judicial custody till October 31 by the CBI court in Chandigarh on Friday.
A 2009-batch IPS officer, currently posted as DIG of the Ropar Range, was arrested by the CBI at his office in Chandigarh.
Bhullar was arrested on Thursday following a complaint on October 11 that the officer had allegedly demanded a bribe through a middleman to settle an FIR filed against the complainant.
The CBI has recovered substantial cash, over Rs 5 crore and incriminating material from his various premises, besides 1.5 kilograms of jewellery, documents pertaining to immovable properties and assets in Punjab. Luxury items, arms, and ammunition have also been recovered.