Chandigarh: Political leaders and officers, who were targeted by the Vigilance Bureau Punjab, have now started flying abroad. Former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has been abroad since he lost assembly elections from both seats. However, no case has been registered by the Punjab Police or the Vigilance yet.
In this regard, Channi has clarified that he is staying there and getting his eyes treated as well as completing his PhD thesis.
According to sources, former Congress MLA from Rajpura, Hardial Singh Kamboj, along with his son Nirbhay Singh Milti, has gone abroad. The vigilance had summoned former MLA Kamboj in a case of disproportionate income. Rajpura police had also registered a case under section 306 against the Congress leader and his son.
Ramesh Sharma, a journalist with a web channel, had committed suicide and in his suicide note had accused former MLA Hardial Kamboj of harassing him.
However, details were still being collected by the Vigilance against him and no case had been registered. Madan Lal Jalalpur has already said that he will come back when the Vigilance summons him.
Sources said that former MLA Kulbir Zira is also abroad while no investigation is going on against him. The Vigilance has revived the probe into the irrigation scam in which former Akali minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon was summoned but he is sitting abroad.
When the Vigilance had registered a case against former Food Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, a case was also registered against Deputy Director of Food and Supplies Department Rakesh Singla in that tender scam, but Rakesh Singla also flew abroad. An officer of a procurement agency posted in Patiala had also gone abroad after the case was registered. The vigilance had also summoned former chief secretary Sarvesh Kaushal in the multi-crore irrigation scam pertaining to the SAD-BJP. He is also sitting abroad while former special chief secretary Karan Bir Singh Sidhu summoned in this case is in US.
Officials said that the vigilance bureau could issue a lookout circular against him and others, had moved the Punjab and avoiding investigations.
The Vigilance had sought details of officers or employees who have PR of other countries from government departments and corporations. Similarly, a top official of a procurement agency has also gone abroad.