Meanwhile, Ludhiana Police Commissioner, Dr Kaustubh Sharma told ANI that Congress MP Ravneet Bittu had interfered in the duties of the Vigilance Department following the arrest of Ashu.
"Vigilance Dept arrested ex-min Bharat Bhushan Ashu yesterday. After that, an episode took place there. We have received a complaint from SSP Vigilance Dept. The complaint states that interference in duty was made by MP (Ravneet Bittu)," Sharma said, adding that they have deputed a senior officer of Joint CP rank to verify all the episodes and reports.
'Law is Taking Its Own Course': CM Mann Over Ashu's Arrest
Responding to allegations of the Congress that "political vendetta" was behind the arrest of Ashu, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday said that "law is taking its own course." The CM further said that his government takes action only when it has proof of a wrongdoing.
Following Ashu's arrest on Monday, members of the Punjab Congress had staged protests outside the office of Vigilance Bureau in Mohali saying that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab was targeting Ashu and indulging in 'witch hunt' with an intention of diverting people's attention from serious corruption allegations it is facing in Delhi.
“Law is taking its own course to find how this big scam took place and who were involved in it,” Mann told reporters adding that his government was not doing political vendetta.
"If we had done so, we could have registered FIR against anyone till now. We didn't initiate any action till we got the proof that this former minister was involved in this scam," he said.
Background
On Monday, Ashu was arrested by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau from Ludhiana when he was at a local salon, close to Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu's residence.
Last week, a case was registered against him for allotting transportation tenders on fake registration numbers of vehicles.
An inquiry is underway and more officials of the food and civil supplies department are under the scanner, an official statement reportedly stated.
In June, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau had arrested another former minister and Congress leader Sadhu Singh Dharamsot on corruption charges.
Ashu's arrest came after he along with other senior Punjab Congress leaders 'presented' themselves at the Vigilance Bureau office in Mohali on Monday, stating that it could detain any of them as they were fed up with the AAP government levelling corruption allegations against them.
(With inputs from PTI, ANI.)
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