Tainted patwari without departmental action

Patwari Sunil Kumar, who fled after taking a bribe of Rs 30,000 last month, has faced no departmental action so far. Besides, he is still out of police reach. Complainant Narinder Singh, a resident of Rasulpur village, and the district unit of the Ccommunist Party of India (CPI) say it is surprising that no concrete action has been taken against the “errant”.

Sunil Kumar, who was posted in Khemkaran, was booked by the Vigilance Bureau under the Prevention of Corruption Act for reportedly accepting bribe from a farmer. He is said to have demanded Rs 35,000 from Narinder Singh for removal of some discrepancy in the revenue documents related to his land. According to information, the deal was settled for Rs 30,000 and the complainant informed the Vigilance Bureau about it. A trap was laid, but the patwari, after accepting Rs 30,000, sensed trouble and fled in no time on March 14. Since then, he is out of the police reach. CPI leaders say that the patwari should have been suspended by the Revenue Department. 

District Revenue Officer (DRO) Mukesh Kumar, while confirming the registration of a corruption case against the said patwari, said the accused was not yet arrested. “The services of Sunil Kumar haven’t been suspended yet. I have sought a report from the tehsildar (revenue officer) of Patti, which is yet to be received. Sunil Kumar will be suspended after the receipt of the report,” he said.

Meanwhile, complainant Narinder Singh says that he has been receiving threats from the aides of the patwari since the March 14 episode. “I have written to higher officials regarding this,” he said.

Prithipal Singh Marimegha and Devinder Sohal, leaders of the CPI, questioned the dilly-dallying approach of revenue officials towards suspension of Sunil Kumar. “The lapse on the part of the Revenue Department costs dear to area residents as no alternative arrangement has been made,” he added.

Farmers gear up for protest

The Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC), Punjab, is busy mobilising farmers and labourers to press for the acceptance of their demands. The committee has given a call to ‘gherao’ the Chandigarh residence of Punjab Governor on May 14. The senior leaders of the organisation are busy addressing public meetings in the border district for the success of their protest. The organisation says the elections are of no use to the working class as “such a system suits only the ruling class”. The organisation has a strong hold in the border belt. The organisation has been demanding implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s report besides the entire farm loan waiver for farmers.