Vigilance report card: No trap laid, sole arrest in 2 yrs

Amit Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 8

The UT Vigilance Department seems to be in deep slumber for the past two years as not even a single trap was laid by its sleuths during this period. Further, the department made only one arrest in two years.

The department failed to lay any trap that could lead to arrests in corruption cases.

On the other hand, the CBI arrested four UT cops for graft during the past two years. Raj Kumar, a head constable posted at the Sector 31 police station was arrested for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 5,000. SI Mohan Singh of the Sector 31 police station was arrested while accepting a bribe of Rs 2 lakh and SI Sewa Singh, posted at the Industrial Area police station, was nabbed while allegedly taking Rs 5,000 as bribe. Meanwhile, several other officers, including an SDM, were also arrested by the CBI for graft.

The number of FIRs registered by the Vigilance in the past two years does not impress either. Only one FIR was registered by the department in 2017 while the number of FIRs registered was little more last year.

The performance of the department in the past two years has been worse when compared to a few years before. Thirteen FIRs were lodged and 15 persons were arrested in 2015 while the following year saw 16 FIRs being registered and arrest of 13 persons.

SP (Vigilance) Ravi Kumar Singh did not respond to calls or reply to messages sent to him for his comment. The SP monitors the department that also has a DSP posted as the OSD (Vigilance) and an inspector, who is incharge of the Vigilance cell.