Dy LoP Raj Kumar Chabbewal under Punjab Vigilance scanner over fake sanction letters for grants

Hoshiarpur, September 12

Deputy Leader of the Opposition Raj Kumar Chabbewal has come under the Vigilance scanner for allegedly distributing 4,601 fake sanction letters among SC beneficiaries of the Punjab Nirman Programme ahead of the 2022 Assembly elections.

Apprehensive of action against him, the two-time MLA today moved a bail petition in a local court. The hearing is slated for tomorrow. He has rejected allegations of corruption against him and said it was just a frame-up. “Not a single penny has been wrongly siphoned off,” he said.

Having served as the Chairperson of the Congress’ SC Cell of Punjab and being a radiologist, Dr Chabbewal is facing allegations of having forged sanction letters for the beneficiaries of two blocks, including Hoshiarpur-2 and Mahilpur for the Rs 4.96-crore scheme under which roofs of the houses were to be repaired and grant of Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 was to be doled out per beneficiary.

The matter has been raked up by Aam Aadmi Party in-charge of Chabbewal constituency and sarpanch of Chabbewal village Harminder Singh Sandhu. He has alleged that even as the code of conduct was imposed on January 8, Rs 98 lakh was released for 10-12 villages from the day till February 19, just a day before the poll. /OC