Finally, police act against all-powerful Bhoa leader

Remember Al Capone, one of America’s most powerful dons immortalised in the movie ‘The Godfather.’ Our own Joginder Pal, ex-Bhoa MLA, displays many of the don’s traits. The American cops knew Al Capone had committed a million crimes, including a series of murders. However, lack of evidence and his political connections meant the cops came a cropper every time they tried to nail him. He was always a step ahead of law enforcement agencies. Finally, when they did arrest him, it was for the less serious crime of tax evasion. Joginder Pal must not have heard of Al Capone, but his activities definitely bear an uncanny resemblance to his character. For the last two decades, he has allegedly been the undisputed king of illegal mining in Bhoa. During his term as Bhoa MLA from 2017 till 2022, he was all powerful and nobody dared touch him, not even with a barge pole. Like Al Capone, officials treated Joginder Pal like Caesar’s wife — -someone who is above suspicion. That was until last week when SSP Daljinder Singh Dhillon, an officer of impeccable honesty and unimpeachable integrity, decided to take the bull by the horns. The other day, when the SSP got inputs that the ex-MLA was personally supervising ‘illegal’ mining operations, he formed a team to nab him. The police team had clear orders from their boss that if Bhoa’s Al Capone uses abusive language, he should be dealt with suitably. On his part, Joginder Pal, as is his wont, started showering the choicest of expletives in Punjabi language on Dhillon’s team. The infuriated SSP immediately placed him under arrest. The city was stunned by the development. He was booked on the charge of misbehaving with government officials. All these years, the king of illegal mining, like Al Capone, had evaded being arrested for serious crimes. Nevertheless, he was put behind the bars for unruly behaviour. Nemesis had finally caught up with him. As they say: “Jaisee Karnee, Waisee Bharnee”.

Vice-president’s visit turns into photo-op for officials

The visit of Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar was wrapped in layers of secrecy. Only a selected few in the district administration, including DC Harbir Singh and SSP Daljinder Singh Dhillon, were aware of the VVIP visit. He arrived in a special plane at the Pathankot airport to fly in a chopper to Kathua. However, inclement weather conditions meant his chopper could not take off following which he had to drive to Kathua. Till the time he was at the air base, officers were only too happy to get themselves clicked with the VVIP. Among these officers were the DC and the SSP. Security in and around the airport was elevated to the highest level. (Contributed by Ravi Dhaliwal)