Chandigarh, June 21 (IANS) The Punjab vigilance arrested Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Sanjay Popli and his secretary on corruption charges.
As per the FIR, Popli allegedly sought one per cent commission from a contractor of a Rs 7 crore sewerage project in the Nawanshahr town during the previous Congress regime.
The contractor paid Rs 3.5 lakh through Sanjeev Vats, a Superintendent-level official posted as secretary to the officer, who was heading the Water Supply and Sewerage Board, on January 12.
The officials said Popli was seeking the remaining Rs 3.5 lakh from the contractor, who recorded his phone calls and complained on the anti-corruption helpline set up by the present Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.
The officer was arrested from his house in Chandigarh on Monday evening.
A controversy erupted on Tuesday over senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid’s remarks that the party’s hands were stained with blood, prompting the UPA major to quickly distance itself from the comment.
Senior Congress leader Renuka Chowdhary on Tuesday raised many eyebrows by saying that "not just film industry and other work spaces, even Parliament is not immune to the casting couch".
An Indian Sikh pilgrim, who was reported to have gone missing in Pakistan during Baisakhi festival celebrations, was found staying in his Facebook friend's house in Sheikhupura city, the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) has said.
The incident triggered protests in the area with locals demanding that the madrassa cleric be arrested for his alleged involvement in the matter. Police said that he was being questioned.
