Embezzlement charges against Navjot Kaur Sidhu’s PA, probe starts

AMRITSAR: Starting probe into the embezzlement accusations made against Girish Kumar, the personal assistant (PA) to former MLA Navjot Kaur Sidhu, the state parliamentary affairs department has asked the complainant to submit an affidavit.

The complainant in this case is former Punjab Pardesh Congress Committee (PPCC) member and activist Mandeep Singh Manna.

Manna had accused Girish of bagging a project worth ₹30.57 lakh for his construction firm ‘using Sidhu’s influence’. “The firm was not registered with the Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA) or the Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT), but got the tender in 2013,” Manna had alleged.

He had received this information through an RTI query. He said that the AIT did all the formalities in just one day. Seeking a high-level probe, he had lodged a written complaint with Punjab chief ninister Captain Amarinder Singh. He said that as per requirement of the department, he has sent the affidavit.

Quashing the allegations, Kumar said that he had followed all rules and regulations. “Everything was done online and all terms and conditions were fulfilled. We had completed the work within 1.6 year. There is no question of embezzlement. There was no need for the former MLA to help me. Manna is trying to malign her image,” Kumar said.