Tensions rose in Punjab as police detained SAD supporters protesting Bikram Singh Majithia's arrest on corruption charges.
Mohali (Punjab) [India], July 2 (ANI): Tensions escalated in Punjab on Wednesday as police detained several Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) supporters staging a protest against the arrest of senior party leader Bikram Singh Majithia.
The protest took place near the Mohali court, where Majithia is scheduled to be produced following the completion of his Vigilance Bureau remand.
As security was tightened around the court complex, SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal claimed that he himself was stopped and detained by police while en route to a gurdwara in Mohali. The incident prompted strong criticism from the former Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab.
"Kejriwal has taken over Punjab. The democratic rights of the people of Punjab have ended. He has come and sat here as a supreme leader to raise Rs 10,000 crore from Punjab. He has imposed emergency in the state," said Sukhbir Singh Badal, accusing former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of running Punjab by proxy and suppressing opposition voices.
Majithia, a former minister and influential leader within the SAD, was arrested by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau in connection with an alleged corruption case.
Majithia was sent to seven days of police custody by a Mohali court on June 26 in connection with a money laundering case linked to drugs. He will be produced before the court again today.
Speaking to ANI, the Public Prosecutor Advocate Ferry Sofat said, "Bikram Singh Majithia's income of Rs 540 crore remains undisclosed, and he could not mention any details about it..."
He informed the court that there were large and unexplained cash deposits made by Saraya Industries, a company operated by Majithia's family since the 1950s.
"When he became a minister in 2007, his company, Saraya Industries, operating since the 1950s under his grandfather and father, saw a sudden surge of 200% to 300% in cash deposits. This resulted in an unexplained difference of Rs 161 crore, not accounted for in any balance sheet, the Public Prosecutor said.
He added, "During his second term as a minister in 2012-13, the company deposited Rs 1342 crore while the official records showed only Rs 1106 crore, leaving an unaccounted difference of Rs 236 crores. Loan received from a foreign country was either not returned, or a one-time settlement was done with a profitable company... Discrepancies of Rs 1.5 crore were found in personal assets, all totalling to Rs 540 crore.
The court was also informed that Majithia had allegedly threatened the investigating officers during his arrest, and the incident was captured on video.
"Therefore, the court granted 7 days of police remand... This is a fresh case of disproportionate assets that emerged during an SIT-led investigation," the Public Prosecutor added. (ANI)
(Disclaimer: This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)
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