In a press conference held at the Chandigarh Press Club on Wednesday, Mr. Sukhpal Singh Gill exposed a serious case of financial embezzlement and digital fraud linked to the 15th Finance Commission grant funds under the Rural Development and Panchayat Department, Punjab.

Mr. Gill informed the media that as per the Government of India's instructions, digital payments are now replacing traditional cheque/manual methods, and digital signatures (dongles) are being used to ensure transparency. Government guidelines clearly state that these dongles are to be linked with the personal mobile number and documents of the respective officers to maintain accountability and verification through OTPs.

However, in clear violation of these rules, Mr. Arun Sharma, the then Additional Deputy Commissioner (Rural Development), Firozpur—currently serving as Deputy Director, Rural Development and Panchayat Department at Vikas Bhawan, Mohali—conspired with Data Operator Ms. Jaspreet Kaur. Instead of linking his own mobile number, Mr. Sharma had the e-Gram Swaraj portal account registered using Ms. Kaur’s mobile number, bypassing secure verification protocols.

As per the NIC Delhi report, this lapse enabled fraudulent use of digital signatures (dongles) by BDPO Kirandeep Kaur and Chairperson Jaswinder Kaur—under the names of Sarpanch Gram Panchayat Kamalwala-324 and Sarpanch Gram Panchayat Basti Bhanewali, respectively. A staggering ₹1,80,87,591 from the Panchayat Samiti Firozpur's grant was transferred across 11 instalments to the account of M/s Ranjit Tiles Industries, HDFC Bank, Village Karhma.

Shockingly, this massive transaction was approved by the ADC (R.D.) office using dongles on a public holiday—May 1, 2024 (Labor Day) at 3:42 PM, raising serious suspicions of deliberate collusion. Mr. Gill stated that this could not have occurred without Mr. Arun Sharma’s active involvement, as no temporary staff would dare access the office or use official dongles without his knowledge on a holiday.

Two senior officers—Divisional Deputy Director Panchayat Jalandhar and District Development and Panchayat Officer Bathinda—investigated the matter. They confirmed in their report that all employee statements were evasive and that the matter should be thoroughly probed by the Cyber Cell and IT Cell of the Police Department. Mr. Gill provided copies of this report to the press.

An FIR No. 434/2024 has been filed at City Police Station, Firozpur against the following individuals:   Kirandeep Kaur (BDPO, Firozpur) and Jaswinder Kaur (Chairperson, Panchayat Samiti, Firozpur),  Manjinder Singh (Data Entry Operator), Rekha Devi (Data Entry Operator), Subhdeepak Bajaj (Data Entry Operator), * Jaspreet Kaur (Data Entry Operator, District Parishad Firozpur)

The investigation is currently being handled by the Vigilance Department. However, no action has yet been taken against Mr. Arun Sharma, whose dongle was directly involved in the approval process on a holiday, and under whose authority two fake dongles were allegedly approved.

Mr. Gill emphasized that the creation and misuse of fake IDs in the names of Sarpanches indicate the deep involvement of e-Panchayat employees. The approval of such IDs and dongles from the ADC (R.D.) office suggests clear collusion at the highest levels.

Mr. Sukhpal Singh Gill demanded that  Mr. Arun Sharma be immediately suspended from his current position., The Vigilance Department be directed to include Mr. Sharma in their investigation. Legal action be taken without delay, considering the gravity of the misuse of power and government funds.

This case not only highlights a major corruption scandal but also calls into question the safeguards surrounding digital governance at the grassroots level.