The Vigilance Bureau of Punjab, in the early morning today, has arrested senior Congress leader and former forest and social welfare minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot from Amloh over corruption charges. He was a cabinet minister in the erstwhile Congress govt under the CMship of Capt Amarinder Singh and was once his close aide. Along with Dharamsot, a Khanna-based local journalist has also been arrested in the case.
Earlier, a divisional forest officer Gurnampreet Singh was arrested by the Vigilance Bureau and is being interrogated by the officials. As per the media sources, former minister Dharamsot’s arrest is based on some strong shreds of evidence against him. Last month, CM Bhagwant Mann had said, “If our own minister can be arrested over corruption charges, no one else should be spared.”
Dharamsot has been alleged of promoting corruption during his tenure as the forest and social welfare minister, by granting permission to cut trees and taking a bribe of Rs. 500 per tree by the contractors. Now the Vigilance Bureau has arrested him and the interrogation is under process. Dharamsot is even accused of his alleged involvement in the multi-crore SC scholarship scam during Capt Amarinder Singh’s tenure.
As tweeted by news agency ANI:
“Punjab’s ex-Forest Minister & Congress leader Sadhu Singh Dharamsot arrested by state’s Vigilance Bureau (VB) in a corruption case. VB had arrested Mohali DFO last week over graft charges, he disclosed to VB how Dharamsot used to be bribed before cutting a single tree”
As per the media reports, Dharamsot was arrested at 3 AM today from his Amloh’s residence by the Vigilance Bureau. After former PPCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu was jailed and Sunil Jakhar quit the grand old party, on Sunday, four former ministers – Rajkumar Verka, Balbir Singh Sidhu, Sunder Sham Arora and Gurpreet Singh Kangar joined the BJP, and now Sadhu Singh Dharamsot’s arrest has brought one more jolt for the Congress party in Punjab.
