A Shiromani Akali Dal delegation met Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria in Chandigarh on Friday seeking a CBI probe into “paper leak” incidents in the state, besides a judicial probe into the recent lathi-charge against sanitation workers.The delegation — led by SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal and comprising senior leaders such as Bikram Singh Majithia, Balwinder Singh Bhunder and Daljit Singh Cheema — submitted two memorandums on the issues.The delegation told Governor Kataria that there have been “repeated paper leaks” occurring in the state. There have been more than 10 paper leaks under the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) rule affecting nearly 10 lakh candidates, they said, seeking a CBI probe to fix accountability and punish the guilty.The delegation also sought a high-level judicial inquiry into the “brutal police assault” on sanitation workers in Barnala.Badal said the party appealed to the governor to intervene and direct the AAP government to register an attempt to murder case and dismiss the DSP and other police officials responsible for the “brutal lathi-charge on scheduled caste women and sanitation workers in Barnala”.Ever since the detection of a cheating racket in the recent pharmacy officers’ recruitment exam, the opposition parties have been turning up the heat on the Punjab government, alleging multiple paper leaks in the past four-and-a-half years.Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, however, stood his ground, claiming that not even a single paper leak has happened during the AAP’s tenure.Mann had slammed the BJP, Congress and Akali Dal for allegedly trying to tarnish Punjab’s reputation through false paper leak allegations.Interacting with reporters after meeting the governor, Badal said the chief minister is blatantly lying when he claims that no paper leak has taken place.”There have been a number of irregularities in various recruitments; this government has set a record,” he alleged.Listing out alleged paper leaks during the Naib tehsildar exam, Class 12 exam, Punjab State Teacher Eligibility Test, clerk recruitment and the recent pharmacy officers’ recruitment, he said such incidents have put the Mann government in the dock.Badal alleged that while Punjab youths are not getting jobs, the AAP government is giving jobs to youths from other states.On the Barnala lathi-charge, Badal alleged that the manner in which Dalit women sanitation workers were beaten up, even repeatedly hit on their heads, was proof that the AAP government has crossed all limits while dealing with peaceful protests.On July 22, police resorted to lathi-charge of sanitation workers in Barnala after they allegedly hurled stones and garbage bags at police, in an alleged attempt to thwart a cleanliness drive undertaken by the local municipal corporation and district authorities.Sanitation workers in Barnala had been on strike since July 8 seeking various demands such as regular job contracts for outsourced staff, restoration of the old pension scheme and a salary increase.The protesters had claimed that some of them sustained injuries in the police action.Following criticism from opposition parties and employee unions on the use of force, Punjab Police suspended Barnala Deputy Superintendent of Police Satvir Singh on July 24.The state government has also formed a special investigation team to probe the matter.”SAD has appealed to the governor that an attempt to murder case be registered against the DSP. He should be dismissed,” Badal said, alleging that “goondaraj is prevailing in Punjab”.Police are taking action to please their political masters, the SAD chief alleged, stating that cases are slapped against anyone who speaks against Bhagwant Mann and Arvind Kejriwal.”I visited Barnala after the incident and met the women sanitation workers. This has been the first time that police have struck the heads of women workers with lathis,” Badal said.