CHANDIGARH: Seven police officers, including two deputy superintendent-rank officers (DSPs), have been suspended by the Punjab Government for allegedly facilitating an interview of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi from the custody of state police.
Sources said that as per orders issued on October 25 late evening by the Punjab Home Secretary Gurkirat Kirpal Singh, the action was being taken after a Special Investigation Team (SIT) found that the interview of Lawrence Bishnoi aired on a private channel and was conducted through a video conference when he was in the custody of Kharar CIA on September 3 and 4, 2022.
The SIT was headed by special DGP (human rights) Prabodh Kumar. Thus keeping in view the sensitivity of the case, officers and cops have been suspended.
The officers who have been suspended are DSPs Gursher Singh Sandhu and Sammer Vaneet besides sub-inspectors Reena, Jagatpal Jangu, Shaganjit Singh and Assistant Sub Inspector Mukhtiar Singh and Head Constable Om Parkash.
Bishnoi is an alleged accused in the Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala case and also suspected conspirator in the Baba Siddique murder case in Mumbai. More than three dozen cases were registered against him in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi. Recently the Canadian Government has accused him of involvement in last year's killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar murder as an "agent of India".
In March last year two interviews of Lawrence Bishnoi were aired by a TV channel when he was in the custody of Punjab Police. The interviews coincided with the first death anniversary of singer Sidhu Moosewala. Balkaur Singh Sidhu, father of the deceased singer had then alleged that police were hand in glove with the gangster. Later, the SIT found out his allegations to be true.
On January 5, the SIT probing the case registered cases and charges of extortion, concealment of evidence, intentionally withholding information about an offence, criminal intimidation, abetment of offences that are punishable by imprisonment, criminal conspiracy and Prisons (Punjab Amendment) Act, 2011.
But in its final report submitted in a court in Mohali on October 9, the charges were filed under criminal intimidation against Bishnoi. The Punjab and Haryana High Court stayed the proceedings the very next day and the next hearing is scheduled on October 28.
Gursher Singh was posted as DSP (investigations) at the time when Bishnoi was brought from Tihar Jail to Kharar CIA in a case related to the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala.