Missing SDM's body found in canal, Cong seeks CBI probe

Karanveer Singh Mann had gone missing under mysterious circumstances after he parked his official vehicle near Bhakra Canal yesterday evening.

Police said some passersby informed about the body, and when it was fished out from the canal near Kotli power house, 25 km from the divisional headquarters of Ropar, it was identified as that of the SDM.

They said Mann, a senior Punjab Civil Service (PCS) officer who had joined the post of SDM at Anandpur Sahab recently, might have committed suicide by jumping into the Bhakra Canal.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal condoled the "untimely and tragic demise" of Mann and described him as an able administrator, who always performed his assignments efficiently.

Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in Punjab Rajinder Kaur Bhattal demanded a CBI probe into the incident "to bring the reality behind his death to the fore."

"We demand a CBI probe into the circumstances leading to the death of the SDM. Fingers are being pointed at some people. Truth must come out," she told reporters without naming anyone.

Describing Mann as a fine officer, she said it must be found out through a probe if he was under any pressure.