328 drug cases fell flat over past eight years in Tarn Taran ›
There were some high profile cases of heroin seizure, including a case of recovery of 19 packets of heroin by then CIA inspector Inderjeet Singh, who himself is now in the police net, either in court or police investigation. SARABJIT SINGH VERKA, advocate of Punjab Human Rights Organisation
TARN TARAN : The accused persons, arrested in around 328 cases registered under of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act by the district police during eight years (2007 to 2015), were acquitted either in court or police investigation, reveals the information fetched by an Amritsar-based activist Sarabjit Singh Verka under the Right to Information (RTI) Act from the Tarn Taran police.
However, no accused, arrested under the same Act in 2016 and 2017, was absolved.
The RTI reply reads that of the total cases registered in 2015 under the Act, the accused in only four cases were absolved.
In 2012 only, an assembly election year, the accused in 95 cases, who were held guilty by the police, were exonerated either in courts or in police investigation, reads the report.
As per the RTI report, there are 14 police stations in the district. Out of a total 328 cases in which the accused were acquitted, 46 were registered by the Goindwal Sahib police, 40 by the Tarn Taran (City) police, 38 by the Sarhali police, 37 by the Khalra police, 32 by the Bhikhiwind police, 28 by the Chabhal police, 22 by Tarn Taran (Sadar), 22 by Patti police, 15 by Vaironwal police, 12 by Khemkaran police, 12 by Sarai-amanat Khan police, 9 by the Harike police and 7 each by the Valtoha and Chabal police.
Sarabjit Singh Verka, advocate of the Punjab Human Rights Organisation, said, “Due to incomplete police investigation against accused arrested under the NDPS Act, the accused have been acquitted.”
He said, “There were some high profile cases of heroin seizure, including a case of recovery of 19 packets of heroin by the then CIA inspector Inderjeet Singh, who himself is now in the police net; but due to the incomplete investigation, the accused in the cases had been acquitted, and they are again in the business.”
Advocate Verka said, “There are some cases of recovery under the Act after which the police officers concerned got promotions, but their promotion should be reverted, as the accused in such cases were freed.”
SSP Darshan Singh Mann, said, “Police don’t use laxity in drug cases as gazetted rank police officers are responsible for inquiries and actions. Sometimes, in the absence of good material, human evidence, criminals are making use of such loopholes.”