SDO, Panchayats, Navdeep Singh Gill, who had conducted a probe into the misuse of public funds by these officers, however, said only a CBI inquiry would be able to dig facts related to the scandals that had been creeping into the department for the past many years.

The case has been registered under sections 409, 467, 468, 471, 420 and 120-B at Jhabhal police station, said Tarn Taran SSP PK Rai. Gill, whose probe report has become the basis of the case, was himself trapped in a corruption case by the Vigilance Bureau on December 27.

Gill, reportedly the whistleblower, alleged that he was trapped by the Vigilance at the behest of the BDPO and the BDO. “They have amassed wealth and have political patronage… I was trapped,” he said, adding that overlapping funds given under various schemes in the block were going into the pockets of the officers.

“I submitted various documents along with my probe to senior officers. The accused accompanied by another BDO, Tejinder Kumar, had given utilisation certificates for the works that were never carried out on the ground,” he said, adding that he would not sit silent till the truth comes out.

Gill said two cabinet ministers had asked them to go slow in his inquiries, thus making the whole issue convoluted.

He said in October last, the government had directed the Executive Engineer, Panchayati Raj, to check more than Rs 2-crore development work in Gandiwind for which utilisation certificates had been issued.

“Three teams, led by as many SDOs, were formed to probe the matter,” he said, adding that on investigation, it came to light that the utilisation certificates for the block bore fake signatures of JEs Mahinder Pal and Surinder Kumar.

Both the JEs had said they had no knowledge of any grants sanctioned for this block. The SDO said he had demanded the list of ongoing projects several times from the BDPO, Secretary, Zila Parishad, and DDPO, but these were never provided.

Rural Development Minister Ranjit Singh Brahampura said he was for impartial inquiry and guilty would not be spared. He had earlier suspended Rasal Singh and said that the graft case against Gill would also be thoroughly probed.