2 FIRs against Lawrence Bishnoi over TV interviews from prison

Jupinderjit Singh

Chandigarh, January 6

Nine months after a TV channel telecast two interviews of Lawrence Bishnoi allegedly from the Bathinda jail, the State Crime Branch Police station today lodged two FIRs in this regard on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Gang members also booked

The FIRs, lodged on Saturday evening, include the transcripts of the interviews dated March 14 and 17, last year. On the basis of the statements of Lawrence as per the transcripts, the police have booked him and unidentified gang members.

The FIRs, registered on Saturday evening, include the transcripts of the interviews dated March 14 and 17 last year. On the basis of the statements of Lawrence Bishnoi as per the transcripts, the police have booked him and unidentified gang members for extortion, withholding information from the authorities (regarding where the interview was conducted) and destroying evidence (mobile phone) regarding the interview on March 14.

In the second FIR, Lawrence and unknown gang members have been booked for criminal intimidation, withholding information and destroying evidence.

The police have not booked the journalist of the private channel for the interviews. There is no mention of his name in the FIR even though the TV channel is mentioned. The FIRs have been registered on the orders of ADGP-cum-Director, Bureau of Investigation (Punjab Police), LK Yadav.

Yadav has implemented the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which, had on its own motion, on December 23 directed registration of the FIRs. The high court had issued the directions while rejecting a probe report of a Punjab Police Special Investigation Team, headed by Special DGP Kuldip Singh with ADGP-Prisons Arun Pal Singh as the member, which said there was no conclusive evidence to say Lawrence was in the Bathinda jail or any other jail/police lock-up in Punjab when the interview took place.

The high court had also ordered setting up of a new SIT under Special DGP Prabodh Kumar to investigate the case further. The other members of the SIT are Joint Director, Vigilance Bureau, Dr S Rahul and DIG Nilambari Vijay Jagdale. Mentioning the court directions regarding the SIT, the FIRs say that these have been sent to the SIT for further probe. The next date of hearing in the case is January 10.

Lawrence had in the interview transcripts, talked about his aim to kill a Bollywood star while claiming he along with Goldy Brar had plotted killing of famous singer Sidhu Moosewala. The interviews appeared a few days before the first death anniversary of the slain singer. His father Balkaur Singh Sidhu has been seeking justice claiming the interviews were part of a conspiracy.