Chandigarh, May 2
The Election Commission is learnt to have directed DIG (Vigilance) Bathinda, Jatinder Kumar Jain to proceed on leave for a week. The EC also asked DSP (CID) at Bathinda, Joginder Singh, to report at Chandigarh and stay in the capital till the election is over. Two Deputy Commissioners of Ludhiana, Vikas Garg and of Nawashahar, Gurkirat Kirpal Singh, were asked to switch places.
The decisions followed a review meeting here by the Chief Election Commissioner, Navin Chawla. The CEC is said to have met the Chief Secretary, Punjab, Ramesh Inder Singh this evening and asked for the changes. Details of any specific complaint against the Ludhiana deputy commissioner is still not known, stated a highly placed official.
The official added that both the Deputy Commissioners would continue to be involved with the electoral process.
Representatives of the Congress had today complained against the DIG vigilance and the DSP to the CEC. Sources added that during his meeting with the deputy commissioners and the SSPs, the CEC called certain officers separately and asked them to work with “improved integrity and independence”. He is said to have even issued verbal warnings to some officers that action could be initiated against them under the Representation of the People Act in case they were found to be working in a biased manner.
The CEC later informed mediapersons that Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and the Health Minister Kartari Devi had been asked to deposit Rs 4050 and Rs 2500 in the government treasury for use of official vehicles for campaigning.
When asked about the alleged use of derogatory language by the Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal and the former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh in their public speeches, the CEC ordered the CEO Punjab to look into the allegations.
