The Punjab Vigilance Bureau has arrested a Pungrain manager and a mandi inspector in Barnala for allegedly demanding a Rs 50,000 bribe to increase paddy allotment to a rice sheller, according to an official spokesperson.
The accused have been identified as Manpreet Singh, manager of Pungrain, and Davinder Kaur, mandi inspector and in-charge at the Barnala grain market. The arrests followed a complaint from a resident of Lakhi Colony in Barnala.
According to the complaint, the two officials allegedly demanded the money to increase the paddy allotment to the complainant’s rice sheller in line with the unit’s installed capacity. The alleged demand therefore concerned the allocation of paddy through the grain market system, an administrative process that determines the quantity assigned to a rice sheller.
The Vigilance Bureau spokesperson said the conversation relating to the alleged bribe demand was recorded. The complainant, who was unwilling to pay the money, approached the bureau’s Patiala range, after which the two officials were arrested.
A case has been registered against Singh and Kaur under the Prevention of Corruption Act at the Vigilance Bureau police station in Patiala. The registration of the case marks the formal start of the criminal investigation; the allegations against the accused are yet to be tested through the legal process.
The case brings attention to the discretion exercised by officials involved in the operation of a grain market and the allotment of paddy to rice shellers. In this instance, the complaint alleged that access to a higher allotment was linked to an illegal payment. The bureau’s account states that the alleged conversation was recorded and that the complaint preceded the arrests.
The incident also shows how a dispute over an administrative allocation can move from a commercial grievance to a corruption investigation when a complainant approaches an enforcement agency. The complaint was made by a local resident, while the officials named in the case held responsibilities connected with Pungrain and the Barnala grain market.
The Vigilance Bureau has not announced any further details about the investigation in the material available. Further investigation is under way, according to the official spokesperson.
