Punjab Police chief takes U-turn on FIR against two former DIGs
ONE OF THE FORMER DIGs, LAKHMINDER SINGH JAKHAR, IS RELATED TO AAP MLA KULWANT SINGH SIDHU
PATIALA: Taking a U-turn, Punjab director general of police (DGP) VK Bhawra has withdrawn the orders to register a case under the NDPS Act and the Prevention of Corruption Act against two former deputy inspectors general of police (prisons) for allegedly disposing of drugs seized from Ferozepur jail inmates at their own level without informing higher authorities.
The DGP had approved action against the two former DIGs of the prison department, Lakhminder Singh Jakhar and Sukhdev Singh Saggu, following an inquiry by the Bureau of Investigation (BOI) last December. Following the DGP’s approval, the Ferozepur senior superintendent of police (SSP), Charanjit Singh Sohal, had directed the Ferozepur city station house officer (SHO) to register a first information report (FIR). However, the case has taken a U-turn.
Jakhar is a close relative of Aam Aadmi Party Atam Nagar MLA Kulwant Singh Sidhu. Jakhar and Saggu were indicted by the inquiry carried out the BOI’s inspector general (IG) Gautam Cheema. The probe report concluded that against 241 seizures of intoxicants and mobile phones from inmates, the DIGs allegedly reported only one incident to the police. The matter pertains to the period between 2005 and 2011 when they were posted as jail superintendents at Ferozepur.
Following indictment, both Jakhar and Saggu requested DGP Bhawra to review his decision as the inquiry officer didn’t record their statements. They claimed they had not been given a fair chance to counter the allegations levelled by complainant Karamjit Singh Bhullar, the assistant superintendent of the jail.
Cheema was asked to conduct the inquiry on October 22, 2021, and he submitted his report to the DGP on December 12, 2021.
“The IG has submitted a report in which it has been concluded that the allegations levelled in complaint
are proved. It has been found that the drugs seized from jail inmates were disposed by Jakhar and Saggu at their own level without informing the higher authorities or the police during their posting as superintendent, Central Jail, Ferozepur,” read the letter of the BOI director to the Ferozepur SSP on April 6.
The offences made out in case are under Sections 120-B, 409 and 217 of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 18, 21, 22, 25 and 27-A of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, Section 61 of the Punjab Excise Act, Section 13(1) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
“The DGP has approved the registration of an FIR against the former DIGs and other unknown persons after obtaining a fresh complaint from Bhullar and investigating the case as per law,” read the letter, asking the SSP to inform the office after taking action.
On April 12, the SSP asked the SHO (City) to take necessary action. However, before the FIR was registered, the DGP office called back the file and sought the entire BOI record. DGP Bhawra feigned ignorance about the case and said: “I don’t recall but will let you after verifying it.” After that he neither responded to phone calls for two days nor replied to the SMS.
Confirming the development, SSP Charanjit Singh said: “As senior officials wrote to send back the file, we have sent the record to the office concerned. No FIR has been registered so far.”