Suspended despite being on duty, says tehsildar; SDM backs claim

Malout Tehsildar Jatinder Pal Singh, who also held additional charge of Muktsar, is among the 14 tehsildars and naib-tehsildars suspended on Tuesday night, reportedly for failing to report on duty by 5 pm despite the state government’s warning. He, however, claims that he was present and working that day. Malout SDM Sanjeev Kumar has also corroborated his claim, stating that the tehsildar was indeed on duty.

Talking to The Tribune, Jatinder Pal Singh said, “I held dual charge as tehsildar of Malout and Muktsar. On Tuesday, I was in my Muktsar office till 5.30 pm. I completed several inteqal (mutation) processes and uploaded multiple land registries online, which required my digital signatures. I also performed duties of an executive magistrate. Earlier in the day, I also worked at my Malout office. It is surprising that my name is on the suspension list, especially since no major inquiry is pending against me.”

“I have not yet received the chargesheet, but no one came to my office that day for fresh land registration. All other tasks were completed. The official records and CCTV footage can verify this,” he added.

Malout SDM Sanjeev Kumar said, “Jatinder was working on Tuesday. I can’t comment further on the matter.” When asked if the newly appointed tehsildar had assumed charge, he said, “The recently posted tehsildar has not joined yet, but land registration work is proceeding smoothly at the tehsil office.”