Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Sunday said the state government will not pay Rs 55 lakh spent on cozy stay of Uttar Pradesh (UP) gangster Mukhtar Ansari in a jail of the state and recover this money from former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa.
In a statement issued today, the CM said that this was a serious crime against the state and its people adding that those involved in it will have to pay for it.
He said that for reasons best known to them, both Captain Amarinder Singh and Randhawa extended largesse to a notorious gangster for his comfortable stay in jails of Punjab.
He said that for reasons best known to them, both Captain Amarinder Singh and Randhawa extended largesse to a notorious gangster for his comfortable stay in jails of Punjab.
Chief Minister Mann said why should the state waste taxpayer’s money in this way just because those in power at that time had strong bonds with Ansari. He said this is brazen loot of public money which cannot be tolerated. Mann said everyone involved in this heinous crime will be made accountable for their sin.
The CM said that for reasons best known to the previous regimes, this notorious criminal was kept in Ropar jail with full comfort. He said apart from ensuring comfortable stay, the state government ensured that this hardcore criminal does not face any sort of difficulty within the jail and escapes the legal action against him.
The CM said surprisingly the then government spent Rs 55 lakh of taxpayers money to safeguard the interests of this criminal lodged in Ropar Jail. He said that Captain Amarinder and Randhawa will have to pay this money from their own pocket else their pensions and other benefits will be stopped to recover this money.
In April this year, Mann returned the file to make payment worth Rs 55 lakh from state exchequer to the senior advocate Dushyant Dave who represented the Punjab government in the Supreme Court in 2021 when the Uttar Pradesh government had sought Ansari’s transfer to UP awaiting clearance from the Punjab government which had opposed the transfer.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) state government had early this year marked a probe into the allegations related to Ansari’s stay in Punjab. A probe led by Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Counter Intelligence, RN Dhoke had a few days ago submitted a report to the CM, pointing out glaring lapses by the jail department in arranging stay.
The inquiry report alleged Ansari had connections with some state and national Congress leaders. The report recommended proceedings under the Prevention of Corruption Act against some jail officials for allegedly taking bribes from Ansari in lieu of providing him special facilities.
Ansari was in Ropar jail in connection with an extortion case from January 2019 to April 2021 during the tenure of the previous Congress government led by Captain Amarinder Singh. Congress leader Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa was the minister of jails during the time.