CHANDIGARH: Fearing backlash, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann today backtracked on Vigilance Department action of issuing summons to Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Congress party candidate in Ludhiana west by-poll to appear for investigation in an alleged Rs 2, 400 crore scam of misusing school land. The FIR in this case was registered on January 8, 2025.
Facing criticism over vindictive action against Ashu, the Bhagwant Mann today ordered to suspend Jagatrpreet Singh SSP Vigilance Bureau Ludhiana on the plea that summons were issued to benefit Ashu under a political conspiracy. The by-election in Ludhiana West constituency will be held in June 19. Vigilance department had issued summons to 25 people named in the FIR.
The VB had summoned Ashu in connection with a five-month old school land misuse. He was asked to join the investigation on June 6 at the office of DSP (Vigilance Bureau Ludhiana) Vinod Kumar at division number 5 police station for alleged cheating, criminal breach of trust, forgery, conspiracy and other offences.
Reacting to the developments, Ashu alleged that according to his information, all the 28 police stations of Ludhiana had been asked to find out any complaints pending against him so as to implicate him. However, the government had to take a U-turn because of the widespread criticisms because of the summons. As for the charges, he said that he had resigned from the school management over 10 years ago.
The leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa had ridiculed Bhagwant Mann for taking U-turn after forcing police to implicate Ashu in a false case. He asked Bhagwant Mann who is running Punjab Vigilance Bureau, Is it Ashu or CM who holds home department?
Bajwa said, "It’s clear that the AAP government first tried to use state machinery to scare Ashu into silence. Summons were issued to him by the Vigilance Bureau just weeks before polling—not as part of any genuine investigation, but as a crude, desperate tactic to gain political advantage."