Ferozepur, October 12, 2017: In an old case of 2012, Kahan Singh Pannu, Chairman, Punjab Pollution Control Board and former Principal Secretary today appeared in the Court as a witness in a high profile case in which he had submitted his report in which six top rank vigilance officials including former Joint Director, two SSP rank officials, one SP rank official, one DSP and one inspector for allegedly abusing the powers and implicating Mohan Singh, a patwari in false case.
The police had booked VB officials including former Joint Director of Vigilance Bureau.
After appearing in the court Pannu said that since the matter is in court he cannot reveal much about it. “I had submitted an inquiry report following which a case was registered at Mallanwala police station. The court had summoned me to identify that the inquiry was conducted by me or not. I told the honorable court that the inquiry was done by me”, said Pannu.
As per the sources, the VB Officials misused their powers to settle the personal score against Mohan Singh Patwari. However, after almost 18 months the report was submitted and more than one year the FIR was lodged against these officials, a clean chit was given to all the officials besides SP Banarasi Dass following another enquiry conducted by SP (D), Ferozepur under the supervision of the then DIG Ferozepur Munish Chawla and the challan was presented in the court only against SP Banarasi Dass.
According to earlier reports, Mohan had even visited Mallanwala or Ferozepur before he was booked in a false case. He had been demanding justice from the judiciary.
Background of the case: On November 19, 2009, senior superintendent of police (SSP), VB, Patiala range, Shiv Kumar Sharma (now retired) asked revenue patwari Mohan Singh Bhedpur for a revenue record of his land in Fatehgarh Sahib’s Roorki village. Mohan Singh delivered a copy of the record to the officer and asked for the government fee of Rs 20. That’s when all hell broke loose.
In the months that followed, the patwari was allegedly implicated in a corruption case pertaining to the paddy scam in PUNSUP (Punjab State Civil Supplies Corporation). Later, he was allegedly tortured, stripped and sent to jail for five days.
As per the probe report submitted by the then Principal Secretary Kahan Singh Pannu, the six indicted serving and former VB officials connived to help Shiv Sharma settle a score with Mohan Singh because he had demanded mandatory fee of Rs 20 for providing a copy of the revenue record. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal later had ordered an FIR against them.