Punjab Vigilance chief suspended over inaction in licence scam

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday ordered suspension of Punjab Vigilance chief ADGP SPS Parmar, AIG-Flying Squad-I Swarandeep Singh and SSP Harpreet Singh Mander.

Government sources said the officials have been suspended for failing to take timely action in a major scam involving illegal driving licences. ADGP PK Sinha has been given the additional charge of Director, Vigilance Bureau, Punjab. He is already holding the charge of state intelligence chief and head of the NRI wing also.

Parmar is the third Vigilance head who has been shifted out in three months. He was appointed Director, Vigilance Bureau, just a month ago — on March 26.

Parmar replaced ADGP G Nageswara Rao who was appointed in February. Before him, DGP Varinder Kumar held the post for three years before he was unceremoniously removed.

A Punjab Government spokesman described the action as a strong move against corruption.

Earlier this month, the Vigilance Bureau had conducted state-wide raids at several Regional Transport Officer (RTO) offices and driving test centres. It was found that many licences were being issued without proper driving tests — through agents who were taking bribes from applicants. A total of 16 FIRs were registered and 24 people were arrested, including private agents and some government staff.

The government spokesperson said investigations revealed that agents were bypassing the automated driving test system in multiple ways. Punjab has 32 automated tracks where driving tests are recorded on video and scored digitally. Agents, in collusion with RTO officials, were copy-pasting old video footage of candidates who had passed and were uploading it under the names of new applicants who never actually took the test.

In many cases, the same vehicle was used multiple times, raising suspicion. Proxy drivers were used to take tests on behalf of others, using vehicles arranged by agents. Despite having access to this evidence, the VB failed to escalate the probe. The spokesman said that names of senior transport officers also came up. While one officer — Ramandeep Singh Dhillon — was arrested, two others — Pardeep Singh Dhillon, RTO Mohali, and Ravinder Kumar Bansal, RTO SBS Nagar — are currently on the run.

“Despite the availability of evidence, no immediate action was taken against these officers. SPS Parmar, who headed the Vigilance Bureau, was issued show-cause notice for this delay. However, even after the notice, no meaningful action followed. The continued inaction raised serious concerns within the government. It is also suspected that information may have been leaked from within the Vigilance Bureau, allowing the accused to flee,” the spokesperson said.

He added, “After a detailed review, the Punjab Government took the decision to suspend Parmar and other officials for negligence and failure to act against corruption at the highest levels.”

Congress MLA Avtar Singh Junior Henry -- during the last Budget session -- had questioned the high pass percentage (ranging between 94 per cent and 100 per cent) of driving tests at the automated driving test tracks in Punjab against the national percentage of 65. Quoting the pass percentage of driving licence seekers in Hoshiarpur, Phillaur and Jalandhar, where it was between 94 per cent and 100 per cent, he questioned the AAP government’s zero tolerance towards corruption.