Senior Congress leader and former Food and Supplies Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu has been arrested by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau from Ludhiana, for illegalities in the tender allotment scam. He was accused of malpractices in the labor and transportation tenders in the mandis of Punjab.
Vigilance officers raided and arrested Ashu under complete planning. Ashu's name was taken by the arrested contractor in the tender scam related to the loading-unloading of wheat in the mandis of the state. Since then Ashu was on the radar of Vigilance.
The Vigilance team arrested Ashu when he was getting a haircut at a salon. During this, Ludhiana Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu was also present with Ashu. At the time of Ashu's arrest, Bittu clashed with the Vigilance officers.
In a petition submitted to the High Court by Bharat Bhushan Ashu, a 7-day notice before the arrest was demanded. But this morning, Ashu withdrew the petition and asked for permission to resubmit it. Vigilance was also aware of this. When Ashu goes to the High Court, Vigilance arrested him.
Today in Chandigarh, the Punjab Congress held a dharna in front of the Vigilance Director's office. During this, Ashu challenged that he is present here, and arrest the Vigilance. At that point, vigilance did not take any action. Ashu returned to Ludhiana after the dharna. Late in the evening when he reached Saloon in leisure, the Vigilance reached there to arrest him.
In the labor transportation tender scam, the accused used to transport products by putting fake number plates on vehicles in grain markets. Prior to accepting the tender, the accused also had the wrong vehicle numbers put in the department. Investigation revealed that the numbers written were for two-wheel vehicles, such as scooters, bikes, etc. Vehicles with this number are not authorized to transport goods.
In this matter, the then-cabinet minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu was accused of benefiting several contractors and contractors and scamming crores of rupees about two months ago on behalf of some transport owners and contractors. Following this case's investigation, the Vigilance has started making arrests by filing an FIR. Ashu is also accused of tendering scam of 2 thousand crores.
Ashu's name was taken by the arrested contractor in the tender scam related to the loading-unloading of wheat in the mandis of the state. Since that time, Vigilance had Ashu on its radar. After the arrest of Ashu, Congress started surrounding the Ludhiana Vigilance Office.