Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit, on Thursday, wrote to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann seeking a detailed report on “illegal” mining in Tarn Taran for which a senior police officer was transferred after the arrest of the brother-in-law of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Manjinder Singh Lalpura.
Opposition parties had questioned the Bhagwant Mann Government’s resolve to prevent illegal mining in the state after Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Tarn Taran Gurmeet Chauhan was recently transferred after he had arrested 10 persons in an illegal mining case including Lalpura’s brother-in-law.
In his letter to the CM, the Governor wrote: “I have been reading contradictory reports in the media regarding the allegations of an MLA about corruption in the police, involvement of MLA’s close relatives in the illegal mining during night time and suspension of police officials and subsequent transfer of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Taran Taran. The issue of illegal mining is an important issue in Punjab and a lot of corruption is attributed to this. In the background of this, some media reports pointed out that a police party busted an illegal mining activity going on during nighttime in Taran Taran district and one close relative of the MLA is part of it. The media reports further suggest that the police party who went to raid the illegal mining activity was suspended and the SSP was transferred.”
In view of the media reports, Purohit expressed his desire to have a detailed report on the issue of allegations by the MLA, illegal mining activity and the subsequent action against police officials.
The Shiromani Akali Dal had accused the AAP’s first-time legislator Lalpura and his brother-in-law, Nishan Singh, of being involved in large-scale illegal mining in Tarn Taran.
Lalpura, however, maintained that his brother-in-law was implicated in a false case in a conspiracy as he had raised the issue of corruption in Tarn Taran police. Following the controversy, the state government shifted the SSP and suspended five police officers involved in the night raid in which 10 people, including Lalpura’s brother-in-law, were arrested for illegal mining.