ASI, Shiv Sena leader arrested in graft case

Our Correspondent

Fatehgarh Sahib, June 23

The Vigilance Bureau (VB), Fatehgarh Sahib, has arrested Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) of the Sirhind police and Shiv Sena (Bal Thakrey) state vice-president Harpreet Singh, alias Lally, in a graft case. An inquiry was marked after victim Harbans Singh, a resident of Bhall Majra village, uploaded a video in this regard on the CM’s anti-corruption app of CM.

Mohali Vigilance SSP Daljit Singh Rana said Harbans, in his complaint, stated that while going on his motorcycle on March 31, he saw an injured person lying on the roadside crying for help. He said with the help of passersby, he took him to the Civil Hospital in Fatehgarh Sahib, where he died during treatment.

He said the next day, ASI Major Singh called him to the police station in Sirhind and said a murder case would be registered against him. Harbans said he contacted Harpreet Singh, alias Lally, a typist in the District Courts Complex in Fatehgarh Sahib, who cremates unidentified bodies, and is also the vice-president of Shiv Sena (Bal Thakrey) as he has good rapport with the police. He said Lally told him that ASI Major Singh was saying that he would not take action if Rs 50,000 was given to him. Harbans said he gave Rs 10,000 to ASI Major Singh on the spot and promised to give another Rs 40,000 later to Lally. He said he sold certain items and paid Rs 40,000 to Lally on April 5, when his friend Narendra Singh, who was accompanying him, shot the video and recorded the whole conversation. He alleged that later, he got a call from Lally that ASI Major Singh was demanding Rs 10,000 more. He said he spoke to ASI Major Singh about the demand to give Rs 6,000 to him instead of Rs 10,000 to Lally. He said the entire conversation was recorded.

The VB registered a case against ASI Major Singh and Harpreet Singh Lally under Sections 7,7A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 120 B of the IPC. While the ASI was arrested and sent to jail, Lally was arrested and sent to one-day police remand.