In dock over the recent drugs-related deaths reported from across the State, Punjab Council of Minister on Monday tried to shift the blame on the State police force.
The Cabinet Ministers, during the emergent meeting convened by the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to discuss the issue of drugs in detail, went all out to lash at the state Police officials, especially the top brass, for their failure to deal with the deadly menace of drugs in the state.
The Ministers suggested dismissal of the erring officers who were found “guilty” of harbouring the drug dealers. A suggestion was also mooted to transfer the “tainted” cops.
Hours after the Cabinet meeting, the controversial IPS officer Raj Jit Singh, has been transferred as Moga Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), and replaced by Kamaljit Singh. Raj Jit has been facing allegations for his alleged involvement in a drug haul case.
Notably, a special investigation team (SIT), comprising DGP (HRD) SK Chattopadhyaya, Bureau of Investigation director Prabodh Kumar, and IGP Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, was set up by the Punjab and Haryana High Court to probe complicity between Raj Jit and inspector Inderjit Singh, who was arrested in a drug case.
During the four-hour long Cabinet meeting, the Minister talked to the state police chief Suresh Arora and the Special Task Force (STF) for Drugs chief Harpreet Singh Sidhu separately.
The Cabinet meeting came after no less than 24 deaths were reported from across the state in June reportedly due to drugs overdose. Not only the political parties, but the common man, and the state intelligentsia have all come out openly to raise their voice against the drug menace in the state.
The emergent Cabinet meeting was held at a time when a week-long campaign — by the name of Black Week Against Drugs (Chitta) — is being observed by wearing black in protest against the deadly drugs by the people of all walks of life in Punjab. The campaign has also gone popular on the social media.
Expressing concern at the public perception that the government had not succeeded in eliminating the drug menace, the state local Government and Tourism Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu lamented over the reported instances of involvement of police personnel in drug menace and urged strict action against the guilty cops.
The Additional Chief Secretary (Home) NS Kalsi also asked the state Director General of Police (DGP) to review the drug scenario across the state with the district police chiefs on a fortnightly basis.
He maintained that the delinquent SSPs, who were found not performing up to the mark, should be taken to task and adverse remarks should be penned in their annual confidential reports (ACRs).
The Ministers demanded that the police personnel, at the lower rung including the munshis, should be transferred as they are posted at the same police stations since years and have been facilitating the drug business in the state.
Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa, after the meeting, made it clear that any police official, found guilty of his involvement tin the drug related case, would not be spared.
“The government has resolved to eliminate the drugs menace from Punjab and any police official, irrespective of their position, would not be spared and strict action would be initiated against them,” he said.
Maintaining that action under Section 311 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) can be initiated against the IPS officer Raj Jit Singh, which “will be clear in the next two to four days”, Bajwa declared that there could be “20 other Raj Jits in the Punjab police, and every one of them would be dismissed”.
“If there is a DGP-level officer involved in drugs case, the government would not hesitate to take action against him,” he made it clear.
Instructions have been issued to the state DGP Suresh Arora to intensify the police crackdown on the drug menace with the strict direction to go all out against drug smugglers and peddlers. Chief Minister Capt Amarinder made it clear that no complacency, on the drugs issue, would be tolerated.