Ponty Chadha

Gurdeep Singh Chadha (22 October 1960 – 17 November 2012), also known as Ponty Chadha, was an Indian businessman who owned the Wave Group.[1]

Ponty Chadha
Born
Gurdeep Singh Chadha

22 October 1960
Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
Died17 November 2012
New Delhi
NationalityIndian
Occupationformer managing director of Wave Cinemas.

Early life

During the partition, a person named Kulwant Singh Chadha migrated from Pakistan to set up a mini sugar mill in the Moradabad district of Uttar Pradesh. It was around that time when Ponty, the first offspring of the family was born.[2][3] As a young boy, Ponty Chadha used to help his father in the business. As a man, he went on to manage the entire Wave Group.[4][5]

Business

Wave Group is involved in food processing, paper manufacturing, sugar mills, breweries and distilleries, power manufacturing, bottling plants, real estate as well as film distribution.[6][7] Their flagship companies include Wave Infratech, Wave Cinemas, Wave Distilleries and Breweries, The Delhi Waveriders, Film Distribution, Wave City, Wave City Center, Wave Estate, Wave One, Wave Malls, and Wave Industries.[8] It is also said that Ponty had developed close ties with former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati and Chief Minister of Punjab, Amarinder Singh.[9]

Liquor license monopoly

Just before the 2009 General Elections, due to a change in Uttar Pradesh government policy to control the trafficking of spurious liquor, the system of multiple wholesale dealers was abolished. This led to the monopoly of Chadha group who acquired the license to sell wholesale alcohol single-handedly in the whole state.[8]

Multiplexes and malls

The company operates multiplexes and malls under the brand name 'Wave Cinemas' & 'Wave Malls' in New Delhi, Noida, and several cities across North India. Incepted in 1999, the company has distributed over 150 Bollywood blockbusters and has cross-border ventures as well.[10] Besides India, the distribution network covers Nepal, Bhutan, United States, UK and several other Arabian and Asian countries.[10]

In February 2012, the Directorate of IT and CI officials reportedly raided the home of Surinder Sawhney the Uncle of Former Delhi Finance Minister Jatinderpal Sawhney, who is the direct brother in law of Rajesh Katial, belonging to the prominent Katial family of New Delhi[1] It was said that cash worth Rs 110 million, jewellery and fixed deposits were recovered, and 13 bank lockers confiscated.[5] However, various media reports were contradictory. About two weeks later, they reported that almost nothing was recovered.[11][12]

However, there were questions raised over the perfectly timed incidents just before the UP elections and how the worth of seized assets was so precisely quoted within a few hours of the raid.[1]

Real estate

Wave Infratech is the real estate arm of the Chadha Group. Starting off with commercial and residential projects and malls in Noida, the group expanded to Punjab, Gurgaon, and other parts of North India.[13] It tied up with IBM to build India's first smart city, Wave City, Ghaziabad.[14][15] Other ventures include Wave One, Wave Cinemas, Wave Malls, Wave City, Wave Estate, and Wave City Center.[10] Chadha group also enjoyed a hold over the mining business in Bundelkhand and Sonbhadra regions of Uttar Pradesh.[16]

Philanthropy

Ponty established Mata Bhagwanti Chadha Niketan in July 1999, a non-profit special education institution in Noida with the mission to educate and prepare special children to achieve physical, social and financial independence to the best of their abilities, in honor of his right-hand man Niketan Sawhney being shot and killed in a standoff with a rival business group in December 1997.[17]

The school aims at total self-reliance and its curriculum is specifically tailored for that. Alongside academic learning, it trains children on art and handicraft for all-round development. Dedicated outlets at Wave Malls further promote the merchandise produced in-house by the children.[18][19][20]

Death

Ponty Chadha, died on 17 November 2012 and his death remains mired in mystery. The cause of the death is said to be crossfire between him and brother Hardeep, though varied accounts of the incident can be found. One of the arguments is that disputed ownership over a piece of property led to the crossfire; speculations in the media of the brothers being in loggerheads over the family business were also rife, but all these have remained largely unconfirmed in the public domain.[11][21][22]

Moreover, sources debating the incident, including Taranjit Singh, who is claimed to be a close family relative, confirm that Ponty was handicapped in both hands and could not possibly have fired at his brother.[1][23] It was also later established when during the investigations it came out that Hardeep had initiated the crossfire.[24]

In January 2014, murder charges against all the 21 accused were dropped by a trial court in Delhi, including Sukhdev Singh Namdhari, ex-chairman of Uttarakhand's minority commission who was arrested on 23 November for shooting at Hardeep Chadha.[25]

However, charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder were invoked against Namdhari and his Personal Security Officer, Sachin Tyagi while the 19 other accused were charged with attempt to murder.[26]

The Delhi Police, in July 2014, contested the ruling in the Delhi High Court which accepted the plea and served fresh notices to the 21 accused.[27]

During its investigations, Delhi Police also discovered that armed PSOs (Personal Security Officers) commissioned with the Punjab Police were accompanying the Chadha brothers beyond their jurisdiction.

An intervention from the Home Ministry has been sought as to why Delhi Police was not intimated.[28]

References
  1. "Ponty Chadha, how he mixed power, politics and alcohol commerce - The Economic Times". The Economic Times. 6 February 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  2. "Ponty Chadha: From snack seller to liquor tycoon". Ndtv.com. 17 November 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  3. "Ponty Chadha: Who is Ponty Chadha". The Times of India. 17 November 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  4. "Ponty Chadha: Ponty Chadha : A controversial figure in business world". The Times of India. 17 November 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  5. "Ponty Chadha, UP's liquor and real estate baron - News18". Ibnlive.in.com. 17 November 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  6. "Ponty Chadha : A controversial figure in business world". The Times of India. Press Trust of India. 17 November 2012. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  7. "Who is Ponty Chadha". The Times of India. 17 November 2012. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  8. Sruthijith KK (18 November 2012). "Ponty Chadha, how he mixed power, politics and alcohol commerce". The Economic Times. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  9. Bureau (17 November 2012). "Ponty Chadha was close to all parties in the region". Hindu Business not business its badLine. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  10. "India's Leading business conglomerate". The Wave Group. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  11. "Ponty Chadha: The 'strange' life of slain Indian tycoon". BBC News. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  12. "Behind full Ponty flop,his 2-yr raid rehearsals". The Indian Express. 19 February 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  13. "Wave Cinemas". Company Website. Wave. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  14. "IBM News room - 2011-11-21 IBM Helps India's Wave Inc Build Smarter Township - United States". 03.ibm.com. 21 November 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  15. Rai, Manmohan (4 July 2013). "Wave City ties up with SBI for financing loans". The Economic Times. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  16. Bhatt, Virendra Nath (18 November 2012). "Ponty Chadha: The unchallenged liquor baron of UP". Tehelka. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  17. "Mata Bhagwanti Chadha Niketan - Charitable School for Disabled Children". Mbcnschool.org. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  18. "Noida Diary: MATA BHAGWANTI CHADHA NIKETAN (MBCN) - Charitable Special School in Noida". Noidadiary.blogspot.in. 13 February 2014. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  19. Mata Bhagwanti Chadha Niketan. "Mata Bhagwanti Chadha Niketan - Manufacturer from Noida, India | Profile". Indiamart.com. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  20. "A special school for special children". The Times of India. 4 August 2009. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  21. "Ponty Chadha, brother Hardeep killed in family feud | Zee News". Zeenews.india.com. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  22. "Ponty Chadha Killing: Ponty Chadha, brother killed in shooting at farmhouse in south Delhi". The Times of India. 17 November 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  23. "Ponty Chadha's hands had a disability problem: Close relative". Daily News and Analysis. 17 November 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  24. "Ponty Chadha death: Brother Hardeep fired first, say police". Ndtv.com. 18 November 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  25. "Namdhari fired at Ponty Chadha's brother Hardeep: Police". The Times of India. 24 November 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  26. "Ponty Chadha case: Court drops murder charges against 21 accused". The Indian Express. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  27. "Ponty Chadha killing: Notice to accused on police plea". Zeenews.india.com. 8 July 2014. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  28. "Ponty Chadha shootout: Home ministry's intervention sought". The Economic Times. 21 November 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
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