Nikhil Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, March 23

Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal caught two traffic cops while they were taking bribe from a commuter near Doraha this morning.Manpreet referred the matter to Ludhiana Police Commissioner Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh. Later, DIG, Ludhiana Range, SK Kalia suspended Manjit Singh and Harjit Singh of the Khanna police and initiated an inquiry.Sources said Manpreet was on his way to Chandigarh from Ferozepur in his Innova. He was driving the car, which had no beacon or escort vehicle. When he reached near the Gurthli bridge, he spotted the duo taking bribe for not challaning a motorist.Harjit folded his hands and asked Manpreet to pardon them. “The government pays you around Rs50,000 per month as salary and you people are still resorting to corrupt practices. You should sit at home. There is no room for corruption,” the FM told him.When Harjit asked Manpreet to “shoot” him rather than taking “strict” action, the minister said, “There are many people who don’t have jobs… You are still getting a handsome salary.”More than 100 ‘unfit’ traffic cops shiftedLudhiana: A day after giving compulsory retirement to three traffic cops over challaning of a Sikh girl, Commissioner of Police Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh on Thursday shifted over 100 traffic police personnel who were found unfit for the job during a recent exercise conducted by senior cops. Their ranks range from constable to inspector. “These cops have been sent to other departments,” Kunwar Vijay Pratap said. Meanwhile, when contacted on the challan row, DGP Suresh Arora said, “I have sought a report from the Commissioner of Police. I will take action after going through the report.” Traffic ASIs Davinder Singh and Kulwinder Singh and head constable Neelkanth had been given compulsory retirement. TNS

LUDHIANA : The Punjab government’s asking its ministers to give up red beacons, escort and security has started showing results! Finance minister Manpreet Badal on Thursday caught on camera a traffic cop accepting bribe. Travelling in a private vehicle without a sign of VIP, the minister saw the cop accepting bribe at Gurthali Bridge in Doraha. He shot a video of the episode and forwarded it to Ludhiana police commissioner Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh.After finding that the cop was from Khanna, the commissioner referred the matter to Khanna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Rajjit Singh Hundal. After investigation, the Khanna SSP suspended two cops, identified as head constables Manjit Singh and Jagjot Singh

2 cops suspended as Manpreet films them taking bribe

LUDHIANA: The Punjab government’s asking its ministers to give up red beacons, escort and security has started showing results! Finance minister Manpreet Badal on Thursday caught on camera a traffic cop accepting bribe. Travelling in a private vehicle without a sign of his position, the minister saw the cop accepting bribe at Gurthali Bridge in Doraha.

He shot a video of the episode and forwarded it to Ludhiana police commiss ionerKunwar Vijay Partap Singh.

After finding that the cop was from Khanna, the commissioner referred the matter to Khanna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Rajjit Singh Hundal. After investigation, the Khanna SSP suspended two cops, identified as head constables Manjit Singh and Jagjot Singh.

Manpreet Badal was on way to Chandigarh from Ferozepur via Ludhiana after attending the martyrdom day function of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev at Hussainiwala border.

Manpreet was driving his Toyota Innova SUV when he saw the cops accepting bribe from a commuter at Gurthali Bridge. Manpreet filmed the episode through his mobile camera.

Police commissioner said the finance minister telephoned him and also sent the video clips on Whatsapp. “I investigated and found that the errant cop was from the traffic wing of Khanna police and referred the case to Khanna SSP,” he said.

Khanna SSP Hundal confirmed the suspension of the cops.

“We will investigate from whom the cop accepted bribe and how much money he had taken. But they have been suspended with immediate effect and a departmental inquiry initiated against them,” said the SSP.

He said the video has only confession of the policeman seeking apology from the minister.

APOLOGY DRAMA

After the cops came to know that they have been videotaped, head constable Manjit Singh came near finance minister Manpreet Badal’s vehicle, seeking apology. “Tuhadi jutti te mera sar, ek baar bakhsh do” (You can hit my head with shoe, forgive me once)”. Manpreet rebuffed the cop saying “you are getting ₹50,000 as salary and still accepting bribe”.

50% of cops at meeting were drunk: Ludhiana police chief

‘20% of cops didn’t attend meeting, 30% of men in traffic wing unfit’

On Wednesday, when Ludhiana police commissioner Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh gave premature retirement to three traffic cops for challaning a Sikh woman in defiance of his order, nearly half of the cops who attended a briefing convened by him in the evening were drunk, if the officer is to be believed. As per the commissioner, 20% of the cops didn’t attend the meeting and about 30% of the men in the traffic wing comprising 254 personnel were physically unfit.

The commissioner ordered a major reshuffle in the department on Thursday, transferring almost all the staff posted with the traffic wing elsewhere. He also reduced the strength of the traffic wing in city by 60% to ‘streamline traffic through selfpolicing’.

The commissioner also ordered that no cop will be deployed in the traffic wing for more than a year. Also, those aged 40 and above will not be posted with the traffic wing, he said. He also abolished the post of traffic munshi with a duty officer, who will an assistant sub-inspector level officer and at least a graduate, assisted by a constable.

‘CALL WAS MADE TO DGP TO DEFAME ME

The commissioner said a call was made to the DGP (law and order) by ‘someone’ from within the police department informing him that “I had ordered that Sikh women should be challaned”. He said challaning a Sikh woman two-sheeler rider for not wearing a helmet was a well-planned conspiracy to defame him by creating a controversy on the basis of religion. The commissioner had ordered that no challans be issued in Ludhiana for the next one month.

“It was a well planned attempt to defame me by creatinga controversy and giving it a religious colour,” he said. He, however, said he was reconsidering his ‘no-challan’ order.

Those given premature retirement on Wednesday were: ASIs Kulwinder Singh, Davinder Singh and head constable Neel Kanth.

To prevent crime against women, the commissioner has formed two all-woman teams to check eve teasing and harassment of women.