Sangrur, May 17

The Vigilance Bureau has registered a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act against the District Development and Panchayat Officer (DDPO), Sangrur, and a patwari.

The Vigilance arrested the patwari red-handed while allegedly accepting Rs 25,000 in bribe, while the DDPO had joined the investigation.

Investigation officer Sudarashan Saini said complainant Jagsir Singh from Gobindgarh Jejiya had taken a panchayat pond on lease for 10 years for fish farming. But in September last year, Gurpreet Singh and Shingara Singh of his village lodged a case against him at the DDPO’s office, alleging it would cause drainage problems in the village. While both sides later reached a compromise, the DDPO did not quash the case. “When Jagsir approached DDPO Parmjit Singh, he sought Rs 25,000 through patwari Jagsir Singh to quash the case,” said Saini. The patwari was arrested red-handed while accepting the bribe, while the DDPO had joined the investigation. A case had been filed against the two, he added. — TNS