Jang-e-Azadi memorial probe: Punjab vigilance summons Ajit’s editor-in-chief

Then chief minister Parkash Singh Badal had thrown open the memorial, spread over 25 acres, in November 2016, months before the state went to polls.

Hamdard, who had played a key role in the conception and construction of the project, had on April 10 resigned as member secretary of the Jang-e-Azadi Memorial Foundation and as its managing committee president. In his resignation letter, he had blamed the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party government of “repeatedly maligning the name of the memorial by sending police and vigilance teams”.

He had in the recent past complained to Governor Banwari Lal Purohit about the Punjab government. Hamdard had also called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 4.

After initiating the probe, the a vigilance team had conducted a surprise check at the Jang-e-Azadi memorial on March 14. During the visit, the team collected construction materials, examined the furniture, and inspected the installation of various items, including air conditioners.

The VB has now summoned a Ludhiana-based contractor who was responsible for the memorial’s construction. Additionally, senior officials involved in the project have also been called for questioning, although details are not clear.

Relations between the Ajit Group and the ruling AAP have been strained. Hamdard had previously written to Governor Purohit citing confrontations with the government and alleging threats from police officials regarding false cases. The newspaper’s reporters and photographers were allegedly prevented from entering the Punjab Vidhan Sabha during the recent budget session, allegedly at the behest of senior government officials.

The newspaper group had earlier also alleged that the vigilance inquiry was a tool to victimise Hamdard, who was closely involved with the project. With a wide readership, especially in rural areas across the state, no government in Punjab can choose to ignore the Punjabi language daily.

Earlier, Hamdard’s meeting with PM Modi had assumed significance with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) spokesperson, Daljit Singh Cheema, tweeting the photo of their meeting. “I felt very nice to see the photo of the meeting between Barjinder Singh Hamdard, a great personality related to Punjab, Punjabi and Punjabiyat, with the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi on issues concerning Punjab. Only unbiased personalities can present the true picture of the present sensitive situation of Punjab. God bless!,” he had tweeted.

While Ajit had maintained cordial relations with the SAD, it also provided extensive coverage of the AAP during the run-up to the 2022 Punjab Vidhan Sabha elections. The vernacular newspaper holds significant influence, particularly in rural areas across the state.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa Friday slammed the ruling AAP for summoning the Padma Bhushan awardee. Bajwa said that with such pressure tactics, the AAP government was trying to stifle the voice of the media in the state.

Bajwa blamed AAP for creating a sense of fear among media houses and independent journalists.

“It is a perfect example of misusing the Vigilance Bureau. Earlier, the AAP government misused it to create horror among the Opposition leaders from the Congress. It lodged forged FIRs against Congress MLAs and other leaders. Now Mann’s government is attempting to strangulate the voice of the media that has been constantly exposing the AAP government’s irregularities,” Bajwa added.

In a statement, he said that it was also notable that the AAP government had also stopped issuing government advertisements to the Ajit Group. AAP’s only purpose behind this was to seek unjust favours from the publication. “When the government didn’t see that happening, it started financially weakening the newspaper in a vengeful manner. It seems that the Mann wants to erect a group of “Bei-Mann” (dishonest) media and journalists in Punjab that would only speak highly of AAP and the Punjab government”, Bajwa said, adding that on the direction of the government, the Twitter had also withheld the account of some prominent journalists in Punjab.