Hoshiarpur: Cooperative dept employees protest, burn Punjab CM’s effigy

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Hoshiarpur, July 23

Inspectors of the Cooperative Department from across Punjab protested at the District Administrative Complex today, alleging that the Dasuya-based assistant registrar of Cooperative Societies has been falsely implicated in a case by the Vigilance Bureau. They shouted slogans and burnt the effigy of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann during the protest.

Sukhjit Singh, the state president of Cooperative Employees Union, and Ankur Sharma, the state president of Punjab State Cooperative Inspectors Association, alleged that the official, Yudhveer Singh, had been maliciously implicated in a false case by the Hoshiarpur Vigilance Bureau. They said the union does not support any corrupt employee or officer — they added that five employees have been implicated in the case and among them, they believe only Yudhveer has been falsely indicted.

They said five persons were arrested by the department yesterday after the investigation lasted several years. In the FIR, it was recorded that Inspector Yudhveer had recommended the maximum loans to farmers while performing routine duties. According to the rules, while issuing a loans, the loanee’s written statement is read by the secretary of the society and its verification is done by the bank branch concerned; the district inspector had no role in the process. But the Vigilance officers were harassing employees by action “illegally” against them by delaying the case for years without investigation.

The officials said all the inspectors of the Cooperative Department will be on a two-day pen-down strike. Supporting this strike, all the officers of the Cooperative Department, assistant registrars, deputy registrars, joint registrars and additional registrars will also be on a two-day strike. Due to the strike, farmers across Punjab will be greatly inconvenienced.

A protest rally was held by the employees of the Hoshiarpur branch of the Central Cooperative Bank against the FIR filed against bank employees. They condemned the Vigilance Bureau’s action of registering an FIR against the bank employees and the move to arrest them.

Addressing the protest rally, former president of the federation Fakir Singh Sahota said the arrested employees have worked honestly during the entirety of their service. The FIR was baseless because when the case was registered and investigated, neither was any information given about it to senior officials of the bank, nor was the bank’s version taken on record.

Addressing the rally, Beant Singh Randhawa, president of the employees’ organisation, condemned the Vigilance Bureau and demanded that the arrested employees be released immediately and the FIR cancelled. Failing this, he said, the employees would be forced to intensify their struggle.