The tribune investigation trail

2017

May 19-20: e-auction for 94 sand mines takes place

May 25: The Tribune breaks the story, ‘Punjab minister’s cook is Rs26-cr sand mine owner’. It highlights how bids of at least four employees of Rana Gurjit — cook Amit Bahadur, Kulwinder Pal Singh, Gurvinder Singh and Balraj Singh — were accepted in auction

May 29: CM Capt Amarinder Singh orders judicial inquiry into the charges and forms one-member commission under Justice JS Narang (retd); Aam Aadmi Party questions choice as Justice Narang’s son represented minister’s family as counsel

May 30: The Tribune reports that Amit Bahadur and Balraj Singh were directors in three companies linked to Rana Gurjit; Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax Department seek their bank details

June 15: The Tribune highlights that Rana Gurjit got Rs25-crore loan from firms owned by Amit Bahadur; pandemonium in Assembly Budget session over the issue; AAP and Lok Insaaf Party leaders suspended from the session

July 12: Government stalls allocation of mines to minister’s employees

Aug 10: Justice Narang submits report to CM, giving clean chit to Rana Gurjit

2018

Jan 2: The Tribune reports that the firm which claimed to have financed Amit Bahadur’s bid bagged contracts for more than two mines

Jan 4: In another investigative story, The Tribune highlights that Balraj Singh, who had made a successful bid of Rs9.11 crore for a sand mine, mentioned his address to the mining wing as Rana Sugar Mill, Butter Siviya village (Amritsar). The mill is owned by Rana Gurjit’s family

Jan 6: The Tribune reports that the Enforcement Directorate has summoned Rana Gurjit’s son Rana Inder Partap Singh in connection with raising funds abroad to the tune of Rs 100 crore