Revenue officials strike work over association president’s arrest

The revenue officials of Punjab today staged a demonstration against the State Government against the “arbitrary” arrest of Sukhcharan Singh Channi, state president of Punjab Revenue Officers Association (PROA), in a PCA case allegedly without following due procedure.

The protesting employees from all districts raised slogans and criticised the vigilance move. Meanwhile, people across the state had to suffer as revenue employees struck work in tehsil and sub-tehsil offices.

Revenue Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian and FCR (Revenue) Anurag Verma reached out to the agitating employees and appealed to them to end the state-level strike call by the PROA. A delegation of PROA also met Varinder Kumar, Director General Vigilance, Punjab, to complain against the arrest of Channi.

The PROA leaders alleged that a conspiracy to frame Channi was hatched and executed by an inspector of Vigilance Department of Barnala to settle a personal score.

They added that a concocted story of taking bribe in the presence of scores of people was flashed without any iota of truth at the behest of a suspended kanungo who is accused of shady dealings.

The PROA president was manhandled, roughed up in the vigilance custody at night and the association office-bearers were not allowed to meet him, the protesters alleged.

The Director, Vigilance Bureau, has ordered an inquiry by a IPS officer. The PROA executive committee has decided to suspend their strike up to December 5.