Exhibiting zero-tolerance against corruption in a short span of its tenure, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab Government has till date arrested 45 government officers or officials among others on corruption charges, registering 28 FIRs in different matters.

From day one after assuming charge of his office, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had promised corruption-free, transparent and clean administration to the people for which a number of initiatives have been taken, including launching an anti-corruption helpline number to facilitate people for lodging their complaints against corruption through WhatsApp.

In the launch of its first three months, the anti-graft helpline has done miracles as the people are using it as an effective tool in their war against corruption.

Based on such genuine complaints, the Punjab Police has registered 28 FIRs against corrupt officers or officials and other offenders.

On the Chief Minister’s directions, the Vigilance Bureau has so far arrested one Sub-Inspector of Police, eight Assistant Sub-Inspectors, three head constables, one constable, one Home Guard of Police, two Patwaris, one clerk, and a Nambardar, one data entry operator of Punjab School Education Board, one Principal of Government ITI SAS Nagar, one Medical officer, one Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), and one member of summon server staff in Judicial department.

Likewise, 17 civilians in a Mining case, four assistants to Patwaris and a Forest contractor have also been nabbed on the charges of corrupt practices. In total, 45 persons have been, so far, nabbed by the Police till June 21, 2022, on charges of corruption.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister said that this is just the beginning and the entire system will be cleaned by weeding out the corrupt officers or employees from it. “No stone will be left unturned to wean away from the menace of corruption from the system for providing clean, efficient, and transparent government to the people,” he said.

Mann said that the people have bestowed a huge responsibility on him and he is duty-bound to fulfill the aspirations of people by giving them clean, transparent, and responsive administration.

The Chief Minister said that this unprecedented action is a pointer toward the State Government’s commitment to providing clean and corruption-free administration to the masses. “This war against corruption will end only after this menace is completely eradicated from the State for which the proactive support of people is necessary,” he added.

Soliciting fulsome cooperation from the people in this noble cause, Mann exhorted the people to come forward and help the state government for making Punjab a corruption-free state.

Meanwhile, after taking charge as the Chief Minister, Bhagwant Mann launched the anti-corruption helpline number 95012-00200 and appealed to the people of Punjab to share complaints pertaining to corruption via WhatsApp so that the state could be made corruption-free.

Since the launch of the helpline number,  prominent arrested people include State Health Minister Vijay Singla, former Congress Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, and former Congress MLA Joginder Pal on corruption charges.

VB arrests IAS officer Popli for demanding 1% commission as bribe

Punjab Vigilance Bureau on late Monday night arrested 2008-batch IAS officer Sanjay Popli, and his accomplice and a government official Sandeep Wats, for allegedly demanding “one percent commission” as a bribe for clearance of tenders for laying of sewerage pipeline at Nawanshahr.

Senior IAS officer’s arrest in an alleged graft case came after the Vigilance had already cracked a whip on corruption by arresting a Cabinet Minister (now sacked), a former Minister, and a former MLA in separate cases.

The arrest was made following a complaint by a Haryana-based government contractor on the state government’s anti-corruption helpline.  Karnal-resident Sanjay Kumar, a government contractor with a firm under the name of Dikhadala Cooperative Society Limited, in his complaint against Popli and Wats stated that the duo had demanded a cut of one percent for clearance of tenders for laying of sewerage pipeline at Nawanshahr. To substantiate his complaint, the contractor submitted the video proof to show that Popli, in January, was demanding the second instalment of a bribe in allotment of a tender for Rs 7.30 crores pertaining to sewerage works from him.

At that time, Popli was Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board before he was transferred as Director Pensions in May; while Wats was posted as the assistant secretary in the Board. The complainant said that on January 12, 2022, he had received a call on his Whatsapp from Sandeep Wats to demand a bribe of Rs seven lakh (one percent of Rs seven crores project) for tender allotment on behalf of Sanjay Popli. “Scared, I drew Rs 3.5 lakh from my PNB account and handed it over to Sandeep Wats in a car at Sector-20, Chandigarh...After receiving the amount, Sandeep Wats also called Sanjay Popli on his Whatsapp number regarding having received the payment and also took Rs 5,000 for himself,” said the complainant.

However, the complainant had refused to give the remaining Rs 3.5 lakh being demanded by Sandeep Wats repeatedly on behalf of Sanjay Popli. The complainant had also made a video recording of the entire conversation using a “pen camera”, and submitted it to the Vigilance Bureau.

VB’s official spokesperson said that based on the statement of Sanjay Kumar as well as the video evidence submitted by him, a case has been registered against IAS officer Sanjay Popli and Sandeep Wats for demanding a bribe of at the rate of one percent for allotment of tender and receiving Rs 3.5 lakh as such.