- विज्ञापन -
Ludhiana: The Punjab government has suspended the SSP, Jagatpreet Singh who sent a notice for questioning to Congress candidate and former cabinet minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu in Ludhiana West by-election. Now Ashu will not have to appear before the vigilance. According to sources, direct talks were going on between SSP and Bharat Bhushan Ashu.
The old relations between the two have also come to light. It was Ashu who first got this officer appointed to the post of DSP. Just a few days before the announcement of the elections, a meeting took place between SSP and Ashu. At the same time, the summons were sent overnight without any official order. Ashu was trying to gain sympathy under this pretext.
Summons were sent in the scam of 2400 crores
Earlier, Ashu has been summoned in connection with the Rs 2,400 crore scam related to the misuse of school land in Sarabha Nagar. Today, the leadership also held a press conference in this matter at 3 pm in the Congress election office located on Ferozepur Road. In the summons issued by DSP Vinod Kumar on June 4, Ashu has been directed to appear for questioning today on Friday (June 6).
Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa targeted the CM
Regarding this, former Punjab Deputy CM and Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said that by summoning our Congress candidate Ashu, Bhagwant Mann has made it public that his party is losing. Now he is ready to use every cheap trick to win. He said that Mann sahab, your panic is going beyond the scope of democracy. Never mind, Punjabis are watching everything. Very soon we will teach you a lesson about democracy.
The matter is of 8 January 2025
The case dates back to January 8, 2025, when an FIR was registered at Police Station Division Number 5 under sections 420 (cheating), 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 467, 468, 471 (forgery) and 409 (criminal breach of trust) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The case revolves around 4.7 acres of land allotted by the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) decades ago to run a new senior secondary school in Sarabha Nagar. The land was given at a concessional rate for educational purposes only.
However, investigation revealed that parts of this land were being illegally used for commercial activities.
With several private playway schools and businesses operating in the premises, the school management is reportedly charging hefty rents, a serious violation with financial irregularities estimated to be worth Rs 2,400 crore.
The police had already registered an FIR against the school on January 8 this year following a complaint filed by the chairman of the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT). Following his complaint, the case was handed over to the vigilance bureau after alleged financial irregularities surfaced during the investigation.
Ashu has been accused earlier also
Ashu, who was the Minister of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs during the previous Congress government in the state, was embroiled in the Rs 2,000 crore foodgrain transportation tender scam of 2022. He was accused of awarding contracts to fraudulent contractors who submitted fake vehicle registrations, inflating transport numbers and misusing public funds. He was arrested in August 2022.
In December 2024, the Punjab and Haryana High Court dismissed both the criminal cases registered against Ashu. One FIR was registered on August 16, 2022 by the Vigilance Bureau in Ludhiana, while the second FIR was registered on September 22, 2022 by the Vigilance Bureau in Jalandhar.
