Batala DSP hand in glove with gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, alleges ex-Deputy CM

Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said Batala DSP Jasbir Singh was hand in glove with gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria and added that he should be held responsible if any harm was done to him or his loyalists by supporters of the gangster.

Randhawa’s wife, Jatinder Kaur, is the Congress candidate and is engaged in a three-cornered contest with Gurdeep Singh Randhawa of AAP and Ravi Karan Kahlon of the BJP.

A few days ago, Sukhjinder had said Jaggu was openly threatening sarpanches and other leaders who had substantial vote banks through video calls while being incarcerated in Haryana. He had subsequently written to the Election Commission (EC) and had also asked election observer Anburajan KNN to take cognisance.

Randhawa himself drove to the Kotli Surat Malhi police station to hand over the complaint to the SHO.

The SHO, in turn, had deputed a junior officer to deal with the situation. This was a far cry from the days when Randhawa held the home portfolio while being the Deputy CM and consequently had stationed his hand-picked officers in all police stations of the Batala police district. When AAP came to power, CM Bhagwant Mann was quick to remove his men posted at prominent posts in the Police Department.

In his complaint to the SHO, the MP highlighted an incident in which he called up the DIG (Border) Satinder Singh and Batala SSP Suhail Qasim Mir to tell them that Bhagwanpuria’s mother was forcing Congress-affiliated sarpanches to vote for AAP candidate. “DSP Jasbir Singh was asked by his senior officers to visit the site where Bhagwanpuria’s mother was roaming and report the matter to them. However, he did not perform his duty following which my complaint was given a quiet burial,” said Randhawa.

“The DSP is hand in glove with gangsters operating in Dera Baba Nanak. If any untoward incident takes place, he should be held responsible for it,” said the MP. “I have tangible evidence that Bhagwanpuria is calling the shots from inside the jail through his mother. I will put all this evidence in public domain in the next few days,” he said.

SSP Suhail Qasim Mir said he had deputed a senior officer to look into the MP’s claims.

With the BJP yet to kick-start its campaign, a straight fight is developing between the Congress and AAP. Dera Baba Nanak has become a “high-stakes” seat. Observers claim it is a contest between the might of the state government which is covertly backing the AAP candidate and MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa.