Taking cognisance of a complaint filed by the Legal Rights Observatory (LRO), the Income Tax department has launched an inquiry over the funds allegedly routed by actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh from the UK/Canada for bankrolling the ongoing farmers’ protest in India.
India’s Income Tax Dep’t has launched a probe into Punjabi label company Speed Records and singer Diljit Dosanjh for allegedly routing funds from the UK to sustain the ongoing farmer agitation.
— Dhairya Maheshwari (@dhairyam14) January 2, 2021
A formal complaint was filed by @LegalLro on 27 December.#FarmerProtests pic.twitter.com/4wO6mfwNq9
Besides Dosanjh, the role of Punjabi music label Speed Records in financing the farmers’ agitation has also been under the scanner of the Income Tax department.
A complaint was lodged by Legal Rights Observatory (LRO) on December 27, based on the research shared by one Vijay Patel who had alleged that a company named Speed Records has been prudently involving in money laundering and routing activities and funding anti-farmer law agitations and its links with pro-Khalistani organisation Khalsa Aid.
LRO Complaint alleges Speed Records kept registering and disbanding itself under various names
It has been alleged by the LRO in its complaint that Speed Records has been registering itself on and off from the year 2011 to 2020, under various names, but either with the same address registered or same personnel operating as office bearers, indulging in suspicious activities detrimental to Indian interests, involving Indians too in activities such as anti-CAA riots as well as farmers’ agitation.
“It is to be noted that the curious case of this vanishing companies and bobbing up of its office bearers in subsequent in later companies show an elaborate network established with a well-thought-of stratagem to hoodwink Governmental Authorities there and also facilitate convenient mode for funding and supporting anti-national and secessionist activities in India,” the complaint filed by LRO said.
A private limited company named Speed Records, UK was incorporated with UK Director Kaka Singh Mohanwalia alias Sundip Singh Khakh, which was a dormant company. One Mr Dinesh Auluck who is the owner of Speed Records India resigned from his office on 5 August 2013 just a month after the establishment of the company. The company was later dissolved on 9th September 2014.
Similar irregularities were also witnessed in other shell companies put up by suspected individuals. Another company with the name Speed UK Recs Ltd was incorporated on 21st June 2013. The same Mr Dinesh Auluck joined this company on 8th July 2013 and resigned from his office in just 12 days on 20 July 2013. This company, too, was dissolved on 3 February 2015.
Likewise, the complaint alleged that Speed UK Records Ltd. was another company incorporated on 19 August 2013 and dissolved on 31 March 2015. Here, listed office bearers were Sundip Singh Khakh and Dr Sarpreet Singh Mehat. Another company, namely, Speed Records Limited, was incorporated on 20 July 2020 with only one director, Dr Gurpreet Singh Dhamrat.
The curious case of a shell company owned by a certain Diljit Singh who shares his birthday with actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh
The complaint also raised aspersions on the involvement of actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh in enabling the laundering and routing of money to support the ongoing farmers’ agitation in the country. It alleged that another company named Famous Std. Ltd. was incorporated on 9th August 2016 and dissolved on 16th January 2018 with Directors Sundip Singh Khakh and one Mr Daljit Singh.
Interestingly, Mr Daljit Singh was born in January 1984, the same month and year when actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh was born. However, the complaint adds that it is unclear whether both the persons are one and the same.
Additionally, the complaint states that Diljit Dosanjh receives an honorarium for music events conducted through his Saanjh Foundation, which does not have an FCRA Registration to operate in India.
It is also pertinent to note that Diljit Dosanjh has been a vocal supporter of the ongoing farmers’ protests and has also donated Rs 1 crore to the farmers’ cause. It is also submitted that the IT sleuths had had already raided the houses of popular Punjabi singers Diljit Dosanjh, Miss Pooja and Gippy Grewal and the premises of two Punjabi film-producing firms in the year 2012 and they are alleged to have been associated with Dharam Seva, Speed Records and other dubious companies in the UK.
Sukhbir Singh Badal’s alleged connection with Diljit Dosanjh’s NGO Saanjh Foundation
Furthermore, the complaint says that concerning the registered office address of Saanjh Foundation, a defamation case has been filed against former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal wherein the counsel of the complainant had contended in the court that Sukhbir Singh Badal had allegedly contended his address as house number 256, Sector 9, Chandigarh. Intriguingly, this address is also the registered office address of Saanjh Foundation.