Jails minister, Cong spar over Ansari’s stay at Ropar prison

Harjot Bains alleges UP gangster was provided VVIP treatment, says FIR ordered to probe it

CHANDIGARH: Ruckus prevailed in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha after jails minister Harjot Singh Bains alleged that gangster Mukhtar Ansari was provided “VVIP treatment” inside the Ropar Central Jail during the previous Congress government after a “fake FIR” was registered against him in Mohali to bring him to Punjab from Uttar Pradesh (UP).

While participating in the discussion on budget proposals, Bains, who earlier tried to corner the opposition Congress over the issue of illegal sand mining, suddenly took up Ansari’s issue, stating that it needed the attention of the House.

“Ansari was lodged in a cell meant for over 25 prisoners where he had all facilities. Even his wife would often stay with him in this special cell. A fake FIR was registered against the gangster in Mohali to lodge him in the Ropar jail and he was given all facilities for two years and three months. Even a challan was never presented in the case,” said the jails minister.

The minister also announced that the state government has ordered an FIR in the case to thoroughly probe the matter and take action against the culprits.

LoP challenges minister’s claims

The AAP minister said such was the desperation to protect Ansari in Punjab jails that even as the UP government tried to take him on production warrant, at least 25 times, his custody was not granted by the previous Punjab government.

“And when the UP government moved the Supreme Court to take his custody, the Punjab government defended the case and hired a lawyer who took ₹11 lakh per appearance. A whopping ₹55 lakh bill was received by my office recently for the payment to the lawyer,” the minister alleged.

Following this, Congress MLAs, led by Leader of Opposition (LoP) Partap Singh Bajwa, stood up and objected to the speaker over the jails minister’s charges.

“Let’s have a separate debate over the issue including on the charges of illegal sand mining during the previous tenure. We can also blame the AAP government in Delhi on handling gangster Lawrence Bishnoi in Tihar Jail. Under whose control is Tihar Jail? Discussion is going on about the budget and this is not the way to raise such issues,” said Bajwa.

The LoP also told the minister that as he had leveled allegations on the floor of the House about Ansari’s wife staying with him inside the jail, “if you fail to prove this you will have to resign”. Amid the war of words between the treasury and opposition benches, Bajwa was also supported by former jails minister and Congress MLA Sukhjinder Randhawa.

Amid the chaos, the jails minister said that today’s worsening law and order situation in Punjab was the result of Ansari’s stay in the state as he also had access to phones inside the jails, using which “he must have produced a number of other gangsters”.

Ansari was lodged at Punjab’s Ropar jail in January 2019 in connection with an extortion case after being brought from Banda jail in UP. After the Supreme Court’s intervention, which set aside the Punjab government’s plea to allow the gangster-turned-politician to stay put in the Ropar jail on medical grounds, he was taken back to the Banda jail in April 2021.

Ruckus over illegal mining issue too

Earlier, a similar uproar was witnessed in the House when Bains, who is also the minister for mining and geology, alleged that ₹7,000-crore revenue was lost due to illegal sand mining during the Congress regime.

Bajwa objected to the minister’s participation in the debate. “I have remained in both the upper and lower house of Parliament. I have never seen a minister speak on the budget speech, and that too on the issue that is not a part of the speech,” the LoP told the speaker. However, the speaker said since the opposition was asking for the minister’s reply on the issue of mining during earlier proceedings as well, he can speak as per the provisions.

The minister’s charge over illegal mining was strongly objected by the Congress benches. Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring in his speech on the budget said that if the AAP government were able to earn ₹20,000 crore revenue from sand mining, as it claims, he will never enter the Vidhan Sabha.

Former mining minister Sukhbwinder Singh Sukh Sarkaria said the present government could earn only ₹30 crore from mining in three months. During the discussion, Sarkaria and rural development minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal also entered into a heated exchange over sand mining in Ajnala and Raja Sansi constituencies.

Even Ansari’s wife often stayed with him in special cell. HARJOT BAINS, jails minister

If you fail to prove this allegation, you will have to resign. PARTAP BAJWA, Oppn leader