Chandigarh: Punjab Civil Service (PCS) officers, who went on a mass leave earlier this week to protest the “illegal” arrest of their colleague, called off their strike Wednesday after a warning was issued by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann.
The entire PCS-cadre of the state had gone on leave against the arrest of Ludhiana Regional Transport Authority officer Narinder Singh Dhaliwal by the Vigilance Bureau in an alleged corruption case last week. In a statement issued by the PCS Officers’ Association earlier this week, its president Rajat Oberoi had demanded Dhaliwal’s release as well as quashing the FIR against him.
Following a meeting with A. Venu Prasad Wednesday, the additional chief secretary to the chief minister, Oberoi said they were joining duty forthwith.
Earlier in the day, CM Mann had issued an order asking all officers to join duty by 2 pm, failing which they would be placed under suspension. He also ordered that the strike be declared illegal.
“PCS officers have decided to return to their duties immediately. They have been told that the assurances given to them by the chief minister during their meeting Monday would be acted upon,” said Prasad.
Earlier this week, CM Mann had told protesting officers that their demands would be considered by a high-powered committee. But the PCS officers refused to return to work and demanded Dhaliwal be released immediately.
Dhaliwal’s arrest
According to the Vigilance Bureau, Dhaliwal was arrested for “running an organised crime to collect money as bribes from transporters”.
The bureau had taken action on the basis of an online complaint filed by a resident of Mankawal village in Ludhiana, who also attached some video clips related to the alleged crime.
The Vigilance Bureau said it had found the complaint to be true after verifying evidence and facts.
The Punjab PCS Officers’ Association, however, alleged that the Vigilance Bureau did not take the mandatory permission from the chief secretary before acting against a public servant and in doing away with this procedure the bureau had created “nuisance” for the officials working in the government.
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