Nephew of former Punjab minister arrested on graft charges

MOHALI: The Punjab Vigilance Bureau in Mohali has arrested Daljit Singh Gilzian, the nephew of former minister Sangat Singh Gilzian for organised corruption in forest department on Wednesday.
Daljit Singh is said to be arrested from Chandigarh.
The vigilance bureau said that Daljit Singh was acting as a middleman to collect money from contractors, in transfers of department officials, illegal mining, purchase of tree guards, issuance of permits for felling of Khair trees, issuance of NOCs for construction of slip roads for commercial establishments near highways, and other works in the department on the behest of Sangat Singh Gilzian.
A bureau spokesperson said that the bureau has recovered a diary which had several leads to arrest Daljit Singh.
A forest contractor Harminder Singh Hammi was earlier arrested by the bureau who had confessed that he had given Rs 5 lakh as bribe to former minister Sangat Singh Gilzian through one Kulwinder Singh for issuance of a permit for cutting of Khair trees at village Nada in Mohali district. He had also given bribes to the range officer, block officer, and guard of the forest department.
He further informed that bureau has registered a case against former forests ministers Sadhu Singh Dharamsot and Sangat Singh Gilzian, alongwith other officials and private persons over allegations of organised corruption.
During the investigation, Sadhu Singh Dharamsot and other accused were arrested on June 7. They are presently in judicial custody.
The spokesperson further revealed that during the investigation into the allegations of bribery and embezzlement of government funds in the procurement of tree guards in the forest department after the appointment of Sangat Singh Gilzian as forest minister in September 2021, verbal as well as documentary and technical evidence obtained by the bureau shows that Sangat Singh Gilzian's nephew Daljit Singh, was directly involved in government and non-government affairs on the behalf of the minister in the department.
Vigilance also learnt that Daljit Singh had been issuing instructions directly to the officials of the department.
Besides, he had talked to the top officials of the department and private contractors. A WhatsApp chat has been obtained which shows that during the tenure of Sangat Singh Gilzian as minister, his nephew had used his influence directly in making government payments besides in supplying of tree guards procured by the department, illegal mining and issuance of permits for felling of Khair trees.
The spokesperson further added that during the investigation of this case, Daljit Singh was in constant touch with other suspects and accused persons and officers and giving instructions to them thereby affecting the thorough investigation of the case.