Punjab: Unidentified persons break into house of former Union minister Santosh

The house of former Union Minister Santosh Chowdhary was allegedly broken into and vandalised, resulting in estimated damages of Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000.

The house of former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Santosh Chowdhary on the outskirts of Hoshiarpur was allegedly broken into by unidentified persons who vandalised property and committed theft, police said on Thursday.

The incident took place at her residence in the Piplanwala area along the Hoshiarpur-Jalandhar road, they said, adding that a case has been registered and an investigation is underway.

According to Chowdhary, she had gone to Jalandhar on Wednesday and returned home around 7:30 pm.

On arrival, her aide found the main gate lock broken.

''On entering the house, we found extensive damage inside, particularly in the bathrooms,'' she said.

The Congress leader said the staff bathroom and two upper-floor bathrooms were badly vandalised, with taps, toilet jets and other fittings either broken or stolen.

The loss is estimated at around Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000. Expressing concern over the incident, Chowdhary said if the residence of a former Union minister was not safe, it raised serious questions about the security of the common public.

She said she lives alone and currently does not have any security cover, which she noted had been withdrawn earlier.

Chowdhary said she has served as a former Union minister of State, was elected to the Lok Sabha three times, retired as chairperson of the Punjab Public Service Commission and also served as chairperson of the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis.

She said that if she had been present at the time of the incident, it could have posed a serious threat to her safety.

She said there are no CCTV cameras installed at her residence, but footage from nearby cameras could help identify the accused.

She urged the police to arrest the culprits to instil public confidence.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (City) Kulbhushan Sharma said unidentified persons entered the house in her absence, damaged washroom fittings and took taps and other items.

''An FIR has been registered, and CCTV footage from the surrounding area is being examined. The accused will be arrested soon,'' he said.