NEW DELHI: In a explosive political charge, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, his wife Dr. Gurpreet Kaur, and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal of operating a multi-crore corruption syndicate through middlemen to “settle” serious criminal cases, including rape allegations, in exchange for massive bribes.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari released purported audio recordings and documents claiming that intermediaries acting at the behest of the Chief Minister and his wife were demanding bribes of up to ₹5 crore to derail criminal investigations and shield high-profile rape accused. Dubbing the arrangement the “AAP Loot Model,” the BJP alleged that official machinery in Punjab was being weaponized for illicit financial gain.
Presenting what he termed primary evidence, Bhandari alleged that middlemen had been deployed across districts in Punjab to approach the families of criminal accused. He played audio clips in which an alleged middleman could be heard invoking proximity to the Chief Minister and his wife to negotiate the withdrawal of cases.
“Under this AAP loot model, the Chief Minister and his wife are utilizing intermediaries to negotiate deals for withdrawing legitimate rape cases in exchange for bribes worth ₹5 crore,” Bhandari charged. “Has the Chief Minister’s official residence turned into a hub where deals are struck, justice is compromised, and cut money reaches AAP leadership?”
The BJP highlighted a recent case involving Instagram influencer Gurvinder Singh Chahal, who was arrested in May following an abduction and rape FIR in Amritsar but was subsequently released on bail in July after police reportedly submitted a weakened charge sheet. The opposition has alleged that a middleman claiming closeness to the CM’s family solicited ₹5 crore to ensure police protection for the accused.
The BJP’s press conference comes on the heels of formal regulatory scrutiny. On August 21, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued a notice to the Punjab Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police (DGP) following a complaint alleging the involvement of the Chief Minister’s family in shielding rape accused. The NHRC directed state authorities to conduct a probe and submit an Action Taken Report (ATR).
Earlier in the day, a delegation of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) led by party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal met Punjab Governor Gulab Singh Kataria, submitting a 300-page dossier demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged extortion syndicate operating within the Chief Minister’s Office.
