The tremors of Delhi’s excise policy scam were felt in Punjab on Tuesday with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raiding the residences and other premises belonging to the state’s senior Excise Department’s officials.

ED’s different teams launched a massive operation conducting simultaneous raids at various locations across the country in connection to the Delhi Excise policy scam case.

Among Punjab’s top excise officials, who come under ED scanner, is Joint Excise Commissioner Naresh Dubey — who is believed to be the brain behind the state’s new excise policy. Sources informed The Pioneer that raid at Dubey's Panchkula Sector-8 residence continued for almost eight hours with the ED sleuths scrutinizing various documents related with the excise policy.

Raids were also conducted at the residence of senior IAS officer and Punjab Excise and Taxation Commissioner Varun Roojam.

Besides, raids were also believed to be conducted at the offices of L-1 licence allottees in Jalandhar. It has been learnt that the ED has seized their record.

The development came three weeks after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided the properties of Delhi Government functionaries, including Deputy Chief Minister-cum-Excise Minister Manish Sisodia. An FIR was also registered against 16 persons who were given excise contract in Delhi, including senior AAP leader Sisodia. At the same time, charges of favouritism were levelled against the Delhi Government for “benefitting a section of liquor contractors”.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena in July had recommended a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in the implementation of the Excise Policy 2021-22. Following this, the AAP-led Delhi Government withdrew the new liquor policy only recently.

It is also believed that some of those close to the Delhi Government functionaries have also been given liquor contracts in Punjab.

Notably, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) – led Punjab Government implemented the new excise policy in the state on July 1. It was believed that Punjab’s policy was formed on the pattern of Delhi — another state where AAP is in power. Now with Delhi’s excise policy coming under scanner, the opposition parties in Punjab have all along been demanding CBI or ED probe into Punjab’s policy too.

SAD, past week, had submitted a memorandum to Punjab Governor Banwari Lal Purohit seeking a probe by the CBI and ED into the ‘Rs 500 crore scam in the state's excise policy’. Sukhbir had alleged that AAP-led Punjab Government framed the “tailor-made” excise policy in line with the one in Delhi which had been found “illegal” and under the CBI scanner.

Sukhbir claimed that AAP Government in Punjab followed the ‘Delhi Model’ while framing the state’s excise policy and some senior Punjab officials had held a meeting with Sisodia for framing the policy.