In a petition filed before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Malkit Singh, a businessman from Mukerian, has leveled serious allegations against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA and Minister Hardeep Singh Mundia.
The petitioner claims that the Minister is constantly pressuring him to hand over a significant share in his business. After refusing to concede this share, he and his family have been subjected to persistent threats conveyed through gangsters.
According to the petition, Malkit Singh alleges that he received numerous threatening messages and phone calls warning that his business would be shut down if he did not give the Minister a stake in it. The petitioner further states that despite lodging a complaint with the police, no effective action has been taken.
Malkit Singh informed the High Court that he had submitted a detailed complaint to the police regarding the threats and had even named the individuals allegedly involved. Despite this, although the police registered an FIR against unknown persons on October 14 last year, no concrete action has been taken in the matter so far. The petitioner alleges that the investigation is stalled due to the Minister’s influence over the police.
The petition seeks a directive to ensure the safety of the petitioner and his family, as well as a request for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the registered FIR. The petitioner argues that the Punjab Police is incapable of conducting an impartial investigation, making a probe by an independent agency essential.
During the preliminary hearing, the High Court sought a response from the Punjab government and the police administration. The court issued notices to the Punjab Home Secretary, the Director General of Police (DGP), the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Hoshiarpur, the concerned Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), and the Station House Officer (SHO) of Mukerian police station.
Scheduling the next hearing for July 14, the High Court directed the Punjab DGP to file a personal affidavit. The court directed the DGP to submit a detailed status report on the investigation conducted so far into the FIR registered based on the petitioner’s complaint by the next hearing.
