Vigilance team grills Amarinder in Ludhiana City Centre scam

Patiala, May 28 (UNI) The seven-hour grilling of former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh by the state Vigilance Bureau (VB) in the multi-crore Ludhiana City Centre scam ended here today, with Capt Singh pleading ''non-involvement'' in the scam.

The six-member VB team, led by a DIG-ranking officer that questioned Capt Singh at the Circuit House in the Baradari Gardens complex was 'unsatisfied' with the former Chief Minister's replies to the 56 queries it had posed and later returned to Chandigarh.

''We are not satisfied with the answers by Capt Singh'', VB SSP Kawardeep Singh Sandhu said while talking to mediapersons here after the questioning. The VB claimed that the former Chief Minister evaded answering many questions related to the scam and his assets.

The queries pertained to his role and that of his family members, ministers, close associates and his government in the scam.

The Vigilance will fix the next date of summoning Capt Singh after scrutinising certain documents related to the scam.

The VB has asked Capt Singh to provide it with all the documents related to his properties and assets as well as his income tax returns. A list about the loans taken or repaid has also been demanded by the Vigilance team.

The former Chief Minister on his part claimed that he had no role in the scam and said that the VB officers were courteous and he cooperated with them.

The district administration had made elaborate security arrangments around the Circuit House and no one was allowed in the room where the questioning took place. The entire question and answer session was videographed by the Vigilance team.

A number of senior Congress leaders, including 23 MLAs, were present at the Circuit House when Capt Singh, accompanied by his lawyers, MP's wife Perneet Kaur and brother Malwinder Singh arrived in two cars at the complex in the morning.

Capt Singh was questioned for three hours in the morning and then after a brief lunch break, the exercise continued for another four hours.

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