Chandigarh: Congress MP and former Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa has written to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, expressing concern over the alleged growing influence of gangsters and organised crime in the Dera Baba Nanak and Gurdaspur areas.
Randhawa alleged that jailed gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria’s network was using proceeds of crime to build social and political influence in the region. He warned that if the alleged nexus between criminal networks and social or political influence was not checked in time, it could pose a serious threat to the rule of law and democratic institutions.
Randhawa shared the letter on his official social media account, saying he had sought a detailed examination of the sources of large-scale financial transactions and expenditure in the region.
He also urged authorities to determine whether money generated through criminal activities was being used to establish social or political influence.
Randhawa seeks central financial probe
The Congress MP called for a comprehensive and impartial investigation by appropriate central financial investigation agencies and sought strict action against anyone found guilty.
Randhawa had, two days earlier, also approached the Punjab Governor with allegations concerning the alleged links of the SSPs of Gurdaspur and Batala and two DSPs with gangsters. He had called for examination of the four officers’ mobile phones to establish whether they had been in contact with members of criminal networks.
The allegations against the police officers and the alleged use of criminal proceeds for political or social influence have not been independently established.
