The ਪੰਜਾਬ ਸਰਕਾਰ on Sunday revoked the suspension orders of AIG Flying Squad (Vigilance Bureau) Swarandeep Singh and SSP Vigilance (Jalandhar) Harpreet Singh Mander with immediate effect. The two officers had been suspended recently for allegedly failing to act against those involved in the driving licence scam unearthed during surprise raids across the state.
Last month, the Vigilance Bureau (VB) had carried out surprise inspections at Regional Transport Authority (RTA) offices and driving test centres, resulting in the arrest of several individuals accused of taking bribes and manipulating driving test results. The crackdown exposed the role of RTA officials and middlemen who charged illegal fees to expedite licence issuance.
The revocation orders were issued by Additional ਮੁੱਖ Secretary (Home) Alok Shekhar.
However, the suspension of former VB ਮੁੱਖ Surinder Pal Singh Parmar, a 1997-batch IPS officer, remains in place. The Ministry of Home Affairs has approved his suspension and directed the state ਸਰਕਾਰ to issue a charge sheet by June 23, 2025. Parmar is expected to respond to the charges before the state decides his fate. He was earlier served a show-cause notice for inaction despite clear evidence of malpractice in the scam.
Additional Director General of ਪੁਲਿਸ (NRI) Praveen Kumar Sinha is currently holding the additional charge of ਮੁੱਖ Director, Vigilance Bureau. Parmar’s suspension marked the third high-level leadership change in the VB within three months, following the removals of Varinder Kumar in February and G Nageshwar Rao in March.
Reacting to the reinstatement, Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa criticized the AAP ਸਰਕਾਰ in a post on X: “First AAP ਸਰਕਾਰ suspended senior Vigilance Bureau officers claiming a crackdown on corruption. Now, they’re reinstated — same posts, suspension period not even counted. Both decisions can’t be right. Did AAP suspend them to make them fall in line, and now they’ve complied? This isn’t governance. It’s intimidation.”
The reinstatement has sparked political debate, raising questions over the intent and consistency of the ਸਰਕਾਰ’s approach to tackling corruption.
