HP sends VB team to seek info on Dhumal’s properties in Punjab

SHIMLA: After repeated reminders to seek information on properties of former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal fell upon deaf ears, the change of government in the neighbouring state Punjab has now raised the Himachal vigilance and anti-corruption bureau’s hopes of gathering clues on the property.

“The vigilance bureau has already dispatched a special team to Punjab to seek help from its counterpart agency in the state,” said a senior vigilance official, requesting anonymity.

In February, the vigilance bureau had sent a reminder to its counterpart in Punjab seeking information on Dhumal and his family members’ properties but it was met with a virtual refusal to cooperate by the then government led by Parkash Singh Badal.

The probe is based on the complaint made by a Dharamshalabased lawyer.

After it took over the reins in 2014 , the government had entrusted the state vigilance and anti-corruption bureau to carry out the probe. Initially, the government weighed its options on whether to hand over the probe to central bureau of investigation (CBI) or to get properties investigated by the state agency.

After many deliberations, the CM, who also holds the home portfolio, entrusted the probe to state vigilance and anti-corruption bureau.

The probe is headed being by Shimla superintendent of police DW Negi, who also holds additional charge of SP state vigilance and anti-corruption bureau.

A probe is on into properties owned by Prem Kumar Dhumal and his sons — former BCCI chairman and Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur and his younger brother Arun Dhumal. Dhumal had termed the inquiry against them as “political vendetta”.

VB summoned revenue records from different districts to ascertain properties owned by all of them. So far it has not found irregularities in properties owned by the Dhumals within Himachal Pradesh.

The vigilance had earlier seized records of properties from Kangra, Hamirpur, Solan and Kullu districts.

The latest move to send the teams is being seen a move to deflect oppositions BJP heat on chief minister Virbhadra Singh against whom the CBI filed a chargesheet after the Delhi high court turned down his plea to quash FIR against him in disproportionate assets case.