JALANDHAR: Former Punjab Technical University vice-chancellor, Dr Rajneesh Arora was arrested by the vigilance bureau for alleged financial irregularities during his two terms. The case against him and 10 others was registered at Jalandhar vigilance bureau police station on January 4, but he was arrested from his residence in Amritsar on Monday morning.
Arora was produced in a Kapurthala court and remanded to vigilance bureau custody for four days. The case has been registered under Sections 409,120-B of the IPC and 13(1)(d), 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Arora, who is closely linked with the RSS and has also worked for the organisation, was appointed vice-chancellor by the SAD-BJP government in 2009 for a three-year tenure and was then given an extension for another three years. His tenure was extended by a few weeks and he continued on the post till January 2016.
The university, which was set up during the SAD-BJP regime of 1997-02 has remained mired in controversies for all the wrong reasons since its inception. Arora was the second vice-chancellor of the PTU. Its first vice-chancellor, Dr H S Gurm, was arrested by the vigilance bureau during Captain
Amarinder Singh's first government in 2002-07.
Punjab BJP spokesperson
Rakesh Shantidoot, reacting to the development, said Arora's arrest smacked of political vendetta.
Chandigarh-based BJP leader
Dharinder Tayal, son of the late BJP leader
Hit Abhilashi has also been arraigned as an accused in the case. Former BJP minister
Tikshan Sood's daughter Geetika Sood, who was appointed as a legal officer has also been made an accused in the case.
"She had not attached any document with her application which could prove her experience of having worked in office/university academic and legal matters as a legal practitioner. According to the facts, this appointment was made without having the requisite experience certificate," a bureau spokesperson said.
