5 food supply officials booked for pilfering 24K quintal wheat

JALANDHAR: Charges of criminal breach of trust by a public servant, and criminal conspiracy figure in the FIR registered against five food and civil supply department officials, including four inspectors, for allegedly siphoning off 24,000 quintals of wheat meant for Atta Dal scheme beneficiaries in Sultanpur Lodhi. Hindustan Times had on June 25 reported the pilferage of 24,000 quintals grain.

The accused have been identified as Vivek Sharma, Bhupinder Singh, Vikas Sethi, Rameshwar Singh, all food supply inspectors, and Munish Bassi, assistant food supply inspector. The accused were posted at Sultanpur Lodhi between October 2020 and May 2021 and were suspended for not distributing the grain to the beneficiaries.

On July 26, Kapurthala district food supply controller Geeta Bishambhu had written to senior superintendent of police (SSP) Harkamalpreet Singh Khakh for legal action against two of the five accused, Vivek Gupta and Bhupinder Singh.

Sultanpur Lodhi deputy superintendent of police Sarwan Singh Bal said the accused were booked on the basis of a departmental inquiry report and investigations will bring to the fore their exact role and modus operandi. No arrest has been made so far.

Food and civil supplies minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu had suspended the four food inspectors for not disbursing wheat to the eligible beneficiaries. In June this year, Bishambhu conducted a probe after Sultanpur Lodhi MLA Navtej Singh Cheema and members of the Kisan Union lodged multiple complaints over non-disbursement of wheat between October 2020 and March 2021.

It was found that the department’s Sultanpur Lodhi centre didn’t provide records of wheat distribution to the inspection teams despite repeated orders, holding them guilty of “grave negligence”. The accused were booked under sections 409, and 120B of the IPC and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.