Drug probe in state carried out inefficiently: Bajwa to Centre
Cong MP writes to Union law minister, wants politicians involved to be named
CHANDIGARH: Rajya Sabha MP Partap Singh Bajwa on Wednesday shot off a letter to Union law and justice minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, claiming that investigation into the drug nexus in Punjab is being carried out in an inefficient manner.
In the letter, Bajwa urged him to reveal the names of politicians and officials involved in the drug nexus so that Punjab Police’s special task force (STF) can investigate all regardless of their position.
He said the Punjab and Haryana
High Court in March 2013 issued a notice in a case for launching investigations into rising drug menace in the state.
“The investigations threw light on a police-politician-drug mafia nexus. The high court took note of the STF probe in a chargesheet against a serving inspector who was allegedly colluding with drug traffickers. The court was informed that the inspector was arrested and the name of the then Moga SSP had figured in the case,” said Bajwa adding that HC asked the STF to keep it posted.
Bajwa said that the aforementioned SSP, Moga had filed the case seeking its transfer from Harpreet Sidhu due to bias following which the high court constituted a Special Investigation Team comprising three IPS officers Siddharth Chattopadhyaya, Prabodh Kumar and Kunwar
Vijay Pratap Singh.
“Chattopadhyaya, head of the SIT, filed a report on January 31, 2018, and requested an extension of two months, which was granted. On March 15, a second status report was filed by the SIT in a sealed cover, and a further extension of six weeks was requested. The HC granted s extension and opened the documents submitted to it. On May 23, 2018, Chattopadhyaya submitted the final SIT report as well as a second independent report in the HC in sealed covers. All these reports have been lying in sealed covers and no further action has been taken,” he said.