Suspended a month back, 2 senior VB officials reinstated

According to orders, their suspension period will be treated as a regular duty period; no official explanation has been provided for the reversal

- Vishal Rambani

CHANDIGARH: In a move that has sparked confusion and raised questions about the consistency of its anti-corruption stance, the Punjab government has reinstated two senior officials of the vigilance bureau (VB) who were earlier suspended in connection with an alleged driving licence scam. However, the officer who headed the VB at the time, SPS Parmar, remains under suspension.

The reinstated officers—Swarandeep Singh, assistant inspector general, vigilance bureau (SAS Nagar), and Harpreet Singh, senior superintendent of police, vigilance bureau (Jalandhar)—were suspended on April 26 alongside Parmar, a 1997-batch IPS officer. The suspensions had followed the launch of a statewide crackdown on corruption in regional transport authority (RTA) offices and driving test centres.

At the time, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government had projected these suspensions as a major step in its anti-corruption campaign, citing "grave misconduct and dereliction of duty" under Rule 3(3) of the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969.