Akali Dal submits memo to Punjab Guv; seeks CBI probe into 10 exam leaks

Chandigarh, July 31 (IANS) The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Friday appealed to Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria to intervene and order a high-level judicial probe into the alleged lathi-charge on Scheduled Caste women and sanitation workers in Barnala, besides ordering a CBI probe into the alleged 10 examination paper leaks in the state.  

A delegation of senior party leaders led by its President Sukhbir Badal met the Governor and presented two memos to him, urging him to safeguard democracy by taking exemplary action against police officials who had allegedly committed brutality against the sanitation workers in Barnala town, besides securing the future of 10 lakh students who had been adversely affected by repeated paper leaks.

Giving details of the memos to the media, Badal said the party delegation had requested the Governor to institute a judicial probe headed by a retired or sitting judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court into the Barnala incident.

“We apprised the Governor that the police was being used as goons of the AAP government and had been given directions to suppress all democratic protests ruthlessly," he alleged.

"Accordingly we have demanded that an attempt to murder case should be registered against Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Satvir Singh Bains and all other police officials who had hit women and men sanitation workers on their heads with lathis. These officials should also be dismissed from service,” he said.

Badal also claimed that adequate compensation and proper medical treatment was not being provided to the injured sanitation workers.

He called for initiation of a genuine dialogue with the sanitation workers and an early resolution to their genuine and long-pending demands.

The SAD delegation also briefed the Governor regarding the 10 paper leaks and alleged irregularities in government recruitments.

It informed the Governor that an impression had gained ground that the examination leaks were occurring in connivance with senior functionaries in the Punjab government and that this was a case of jobs for money racket being run by an organised criminal network.

Accordingly, the delegation demanded that the alleged role of the Chief Minister, Council of Ministers and AAP leaders, public servants and private persons in the examination scam should be probed thoroughly by the CBI.

It also called for forensic examination of all digital records, CCTV footage, servers, communication records and examination-related documents and a comprehensive audit of all recruitment examinations conducted by various state agencies in the past four-and-a-half years.

--IANS

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