Moga panchayat grant scam:dhurkot sarpanch suspended

MOGA: A fortnight after the district police booked Dhurkot village sarpanch Sarabjit Kaur and two other officials for embezzlement of panchayat funds to the tune of ₹58.55 lakh at Dhurkot village of the district, the state government has suspended her and ordered to freeze panchayat bank accounts opened on her name.

The other two officials — block development and panchayat officer (BDPO, Moga-1) Jaspreet Singh and panchayat secretary Karam Singh — have already been suspended.

In his letter, director, rural development and panchayats, Siban C, said: “The allegations are of serious nature. Retaining the sarpanch is not in public interest. Using powers under Section 20 (4) of the Punjab Panchayati Raj Act, 1994, I am suspending sarpanch Sarabjit Kaur with immediate effect.”

The director, during the course of an inquiry, may suspend a sarpanch or a panch for any of the reasons for which he can be removed.

In her defence before the director on August 28, she plead for reinvestigation into the case from a panel of officials from some other district and requested not to initiate any action on the DC’S report till the outcome of the re-reinvestigation.

The district police have arrested panchayat secretary Karam Singh but has failed to nab BDPO Jaspreet and sarpanch

Sarabjit Kaur, even a fortnight after an FIR was lodged against them.

The case was registered on September 6 against the trio under Sections 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act at Ajitwal Police Station Moga.

Subeg Singh, DSP, Nihal Singh Wala said that after procuring two days remand for Karam Singh, they have sent him to the jail. “We are conducting raids to nab remaining accused,” he added.

During interrogation, the panchayat secretary said he used the funds embezzled from the village grant to construct his three-storey house in Ajitwal village, police officials said.