Mellowed VB to tread cautiously : ADGP

CHANDIGARH: When three persons claiming to be from the Vigilance Bureau visited the official residence of minister of state for technical education Mahinder Singh Kaypee last week, it seemed to be falling in Chief Minister Amarinder Singh''s pattern of intimidating the dissidents who refused to fall in line.
But this time additional director general Mohammad Izhar Alam, who is the new chief director of the department, was quick to verify and dub it as prank played by "some mischief-mongers".
The persons went to the security guard manning the gate, asked for the minister or any other family member and before leaving the spot told him that they were from the VB.
Expressing serious concern at the incident Alam said such incidents not only maligned the VB image, but also had unpleasant political fallout.
In order to their recurrence, he said, the entire VB staff would be provided with identity cards which they would be required to produce whenever they carry out raids or searches.
Echoing the message of the chief minister that the VB should no more run roughshod over the government officials, Alam said the department would be more cautious in its approach.
The chief minister, at a meeting of the deputy commissioners and SSPs here last week, had resented the manner in which the VB had "become a terror among the government officials". Amarinder had told the meeting that due to the alleged VB terror, senior officers had stopped taking decisions in their respective departments.
Alam said in future he would personally scrutinise all complaints coming to the VB and entrust them for investigation to officers in accordance to their experience and seniority. All complaints against senior ministers, former ministers or senior officials would be investigated by DIGs, while the rest by junior officers. He said officer immediately senior to the investigating officer would be accountable for progress in investigation.
A senior officer in the rank of DIG would be posted in Jalandhar to monitor cases in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ferozepur and Ludhiana ranges.
Asked if he would check the VB from becoming a political tool in the hands of the chief minister to browbeat his opponents, the ADGP said the VB would perform its task professionally whether it meant targetting politicians or officials.
He denied that with the change of guard in the VB there would be let up ininvestigations against former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal or in its drive against corruption.
Alam also rebutted reports that a VB inquiry was going on against finance minister Lal Singh, who also holds food and supplies portfolio.