Officers of the Excise and Taxation department from Inspectors to Additional Commissioners have gone on strike from Wednesday, protesting against alleged atrocities of the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB).
Confederation of Associations of Senior Officers, excise, and taxation officers (ETO) and inspectors in a representation to Financial Commissioner (taxation), Punajb, said that VB is taking unlawful and unwarranted actions against officers of the department, which included registration of FIRs on flimsy ground, arrests of officers, raids and search at the residential houses and calling and humiliating the officers in the name of investigation.
The members of the association also stated that the state government had failed to intervene in the matter despite representations submitted with the high authorities and chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on September 3 and 5.
All the officials and officers of the department (from the level of Inspectors to additional commissioners) had proceeded on mass casual leave for two days (Monday and Tuesday) as a mark of protest against the VB. Despite repeated representations, the confederation has not received any word.
An official said, “VB actions are continuing and fresh FIRs were registered against seven seniors officers of the department. Property details of the officers are being highlighted in bad taste without proper verification and without hearing the officers concerned.” “In such an atmosphere of fear and terror, everyone in the department is feeling strangulated and unsafe. A wave of resentment and anger is present in all the cadres of the department. Considering the seriousness of the matter and representations submitted being left unheard, this committee was left with no other option but to call for indefinite strike by all the cadres of the department beginning from Wednesday till the time this issue is addressed and redressed to the satisfaction of the entire cadre,” he added.
