Corruption Watch

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<b>Ex-colonel caught taking bribe</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->A former lieutenant colonel in the Indian Army, S P Singh was arrested on Wednesday after being caught on tape accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000 from the brother of late squadron leader Ajay Ahuja, whose fighter aircraft was hit by a Pakistani missile in May 1999.

Singh, who worked as the district sainik (defence) welfare officer here, had allegedly threatened the martyr's brother Vijay Ahuja that he would get the government grant cancelled if he was not paid 20 percent of the amount.

The Punjab government had sanctioned a grant of Rs 2,00,000 to Ajay Ahuja's aged parents, who were to receive two drafts of Rs 1,00,000 each.

Singh had delayed release of the drafts

Vijay Ahuja had already paid 50 percent of the demanded bribe of Rs 40,000 to Singh, but only after involving the All-India Anti-Terrorist Front chief and Congress leader Maninderjit Singh Bitta and Hindi news channel Aaj Tak<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
This makes me sick. <!--emo&:thumbdown--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='thumbsdownsmileyanim.gif' /><!--endemo-->