Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s officer on special duty, Rajbir Singh Ghuman, underwent his second round of questioning by the Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday in a corruption probe involving alleged influence-peddling, tender manipulation, real estate irregularities and a cash-for-posting network.
Ghuman was questioned for about four and a half hours at the CBI office, from 2 pm to 6.30 pm, and told reporters afterwards that the agency had asked around 40 to 50 questions. He said several questions revisited issues raised during his first appearance, which lasted six hours on the previous Friday.
The questioning follows allegations linked to WhatsApp chats recovered by the Enforcement Directorate from the phone of businessman Nitin Gohal. According to the ED, the phone contained 21 chats concerning requests for the transfers and postings of officials between September 2023 and March 2026.
Ghuman rejected the suggestion that the chats were incriminating. He described them as routine messages related to requests for postings and transfers, and said he had given satisfactory replies to the CBI. His comments represent his position in an ongoing investigation; the allegations have not been established by a court.
The OSD also questioned the timeline surrounding cash-filled bags that were reportedly thrown from Gohal’s ninth-floor apartment at Western Towers Society in Kharar in May. Ghuman said the incident had not been incorporated into the CBI investigation and cited the ED’s panchnama, which recorded that the bags were recovered on the road.
According to Ghuman’s account, the raid began at 7 am and Gohal’s family members were taken into custody by 7.10 am, while the bags were allegedly thrown at about 8.30 am. He questioned how the family could have thrown them after being detained, while also saying that the incident required scrutiny. The account and the circumstances surrounding the recovery remain part of the agencies’ broader investigation.
The case has developed across both the CBI and the ED. The CBI investigation was registered under directions from the Punjab and Haryana high court, while the ED registered a case in Jalandhar on October 13, adding an alleged money-laundering dimension. The wider allegations concern the functioning of government decision-making, including the alleged use of influence in postings, transfers, tenders and real estate-related matters.
Ghuman had earlier been alleged to have skipped two CBI summons issued on October 7 and 9. The chief minister’s office said no summons had been received on the first occasion, while Ghuman responded legally to the second notice but did not appear in person. On October 12, the Supreme Court granted him interim protection from coercive action and directed him to cooperate fully with the investigation.
Ghuman said he would appear again before the CBI on October 22 and cooperate with the agency. He also alleged that the investigation was being used to intimidate individuals and denied corruption charges, calling them political propaganda. The probe’s next formal milestone is the court-mandated deadline for the CBI to submit its comprehensive investigation report by December 4.
