Officer under scanner for ‘letting off’ cops accused of aiding smugglers

Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 28

The State Bureau of Investigation has initiated an inquiry on whether senior police officers took money to help three juniors in a drug smuggling case against them in Moga.

They were dismissed from service, but later the district police filed a cancellation report in the case.

Kamaljit Singh Dhillon, AIG (Intelligence), allegedly took Rs 40 lakh for helping the three accused in the case (FIR 122) registered against them in September 2013 during his tenure as Moga SSP. The police did not file a challan within 180 days.

The three accused — ASI Jarnail Singh, Head Constables Jasbir Singh and Davinder Singh — were posted at the Nathuwala police post. ASI Jarnail Singh alleged that he paid Rs 40 lakh to Dhillon for delaying the challan and filing a cancellation report. He said he later got his money back with the intervention of some influential persons.

The bureau started an inquiry this week and Dhillon has been summoned. He claimed that he was not an accused, but was helping the bureau in establishing the true facts of the case. He said the case against the trio was cancelled a year after he was transferred from Moga.

IG (Crime) LK Yadav is conducting the inquiry, but declined to comment at this stage.

The inquiry was renewed on the recommendation of IG, Bathinda Zone, MS Chhina, who in his report exposed the serious case of corruption and instance of helping drug smugglers.

Even though a video recording of the recovery of 168 kg of poppy husk was made in the presence of two witnesses — Gurmeet Singh SP (Traffic) and Inspector Amarjit Singh — the police allegedly let the accused off the hook.

The two witnesses are in a quandary as the court was pulling them up on who was telling the truth.

Chhina also reopened the “ignored” complaints against the SSP and in his report to the DGP, quoted the statements of the accused cops who reiterated that they paid money for relief. The IG also quoted two DIGs — Ranbir Singh Khatra and Dr Sukhchain Singh Gill — who concurred that the accused were let off in a dubious manner. They too said the accused cops had given a statement to them that they paid the bribe.

Harjit Singh Pannu, former SP (H) on whose inquiry the drug smuggling case against the three cops was cancelled by SSP Dhillon, has already deposed before IG Yadav. Pannu said he was called as a witness to prove the basis for cancellation of the case.

‘Case cancelled due to political pressure’ 

KS Dhillon, currently posted as AIG (Intelligence), said the case was not cancelled during his tenure and he was actually helping the inquiry as a witness. “The inquiry is into the case and not against me. The cancellation report was filed in February 2015, whereas I was transferred in April, 2014. The case was cancelled due to some political pressure. The accused ASI was inimical towards me because I caught him and ordered his dismissal from service,” he added.