Former PM Rajiv Gandhi's statue vandalised in Ludhiana
Ludhiana, Dec 25 (PTI) A statue of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi here was vandalised on Tuesday by some persons, who Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh claimed, owed allegiance to the Shiromani Akali Dal in the state.
The chief minister has asked the police to take action in the matter and identify the perpetrators.
Paint was sprayed by the miscreants on the statue at the Salem Tabri area here, police said.
They carried out the act in full public glare and blamed Rajiv Gandhi for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, they said.
Condemning the incident, Singh tweeted, "Strongly condemn vandalisation of Rajiv Gandhi's statue by @Akali_ Dal_ workers in Ludhiana. Have asked Police to identify the guilty & take strict action."
"@officeofssbadal should apologise to people of Punjab for this obnoxious act," he posted on Twitter tagging the office of SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal.
Amarinder Singh also asked the SAD to apologise to the people of Punjab for this act.
Police said the miscreants demanded that statues of Rajiv Gandhi across the country be removed and Bharat Ratna conferred on him be withdrawn.
The statue was later cleaned by some Ludhiana Congress leaders.
Congress's Ludhiana president Gurpreet Singh said they have lodged a police complaint.
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Punjab: CBI arrests 3 men in Rs 13-lakh bribery case involving Vigilance dept after midnight chase
New Delhi (PTI): In a late-night raid at the Punjab Vigilance office in Mohali followed by a dramatic chase, the CBI arrested two middlemen and another person in a Rs 13-lakh bribery case involving senior officers of the department, officials said.
The CBI took the action after registering an FIR on a complaint of a Punjab State Tax Officer, who had accused Vikas Goyal and his son Raghav Goyal of demanding illegal gratification of Rs 20 Lakh for securing the closure of a complaint against him in the office of DG (Vigilance), Punjab.
"Further, it was alleged that both the accused were acting as intermediaries for senior Vigilance officials including the Reader to DGP Vigilance, Punjab and were using their influence to assure the complainant that his matter could be settled. O. P. Rana, the reader to DG Vigilance assured him for closure of the complaint once illegal gratification is paid," a CBI spokesperson said in a statement.
Prima facie, the investigation reveals active involvement of Rana in the conspiracy, she said.
According to the statement, during negotiations, the accused reduced the demand from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 13 lakh along with one Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 mobile phone for Rana.
After getting confirmation about the bribe exchange, a CBI team raided a place in Chandigarh, where an associate of the accused, Ankit Wadhwa, was arrested while accepting a bribe of Rs 13 lakh and a mobile phone on their behalf, the spokesperson said.
"The bribe amount and mobile phone were recovered during the trap proceedings," the statement read.
As it happened, Raghav Goyal, Vikas Goyal, and Rana ran away after being alerted by their gunmen stationed there to keep a watch.
The CBI team began a hot pursuit and after a dramatic chase, nabbed Raghav, Vikas and apprehended two gunmen near Ambala at the Punjab-Haryana border, the spokesperson said.
"Rana, reader to DGP Vigilance, is still absconding and efforts are being made to arrest him," she said.
Searches at the residential premises of Goyals at Malout and Rana at Chandigarh, led to recovery of Rs 9 lakh in cash and incriminating documents, the spokesperson said.
The CBI investigation exposed an exchange of "sensitive information" relating to pending vigilance matters between Rana and Goyals.
"The wider conspiracy, including possible illegal gratification nexus and the role of other persons, is under investigation. The accused private persons were given police gunmen officially. The role and attachment of Punjab Police gunmen carrying AK-47 rifles with the private accused persons is also being examined," the spokesperson said.
