The Rural Development and Panchayat Department has suspended the entire panchayat of Lang village in Patiala district following allegations of irregularities, including illegal excavation and sale of soil from village ponds, besides misuse of development funds.District Development and Panchayat Officer (DDPO) Mohinder Jeet Singh said the action had been taken following complaints by some residents of the village.Preliminary inquires pointed towards financial misconduct, misuse of official position and violation of working norms by the elected body, leading to its suspension under the Punjab Panchayati Raj Act, the DDPO said.According to the complainants, hundreds of tractor-trailers carrying soil excavated from the village ponds were sold without approval from the gram sabha and the Rural Development and Panchayat Department.The complainants alleged that nearly 2,000 to 2,500 trolleys of soil were disposed of, while the expenditure on excavation was also allegedly inflated by the panchayat.The panchayat has also been accused of misusing funds in the name of development works. Around 50 pipes of 18-inch diameter purchased using panchayat funds were allegedly distributed among select persons for laying in their fields for irrigation, instead of being used for public purposes. The complainants alleged that payments exceeding Rs 1 lakh were withdrawn in the name of sanitation works, which were either not carried out or only partially executed. Some construction material also remained unaccounted for, raising suspicion of fund embezzlement.Following the preliminary inquiry, the authorities have frozen all bank accounts of the panchayat to prevent further transactions. The records related to the tenure of Lang Sarpanch Jaswinder Kaur and other members were being checked. The statements of those named in the complaint have been recorded and an investigation was underway.Meanwhile, Jaswinder Kaur and her son Gurdev Singh have refuted the allegations, terming these as “politically motivated”. They claimed the complaints were part of a political conspiracy by their rivals.