Probe into Lawrence Bishnoi’s jail interviews, cops’ role in helping Raj Jit, Inderjit delayed

Jupinderjit Singh

Chandigarh, June 3

Police inquiries into two prominent cases the role of officers in helping the dismissed officers Raj Jit Singh and Inderjit Singh and the two interviews of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi allegedly from a Punjab jail have been delayed.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by DGP (STF) Kuldeep Singh, on April 7 was tasked with a probe into two back-to-back interviews of Bishnoi allegedly from a Punjab jail in 15 days. Sources sdaid the main reason for the delay was that Bishnoi could not be questioned as he was on a transit remand with the Gujarat Police and then with the NIA while being in Tihar Jail.

The inquiry team just needs to ask him how and where the interview took place but for almost two months, it is unable to lay its hands on him.

The probe team has, however, made a timeline of his stay in different jails to find out the venue of the interview. The police and government had immediately, after the interview was aired in mid-March, claimed that it was not conducted in the Bathinda jail, where Bishnoi was locked up that time.

Also, SIT members were changed due to their transfers contributing to the delay. First, ADGP, Jails, B Chandrashekhar was a member with DGP Kuldeep Singh. Then newly posted head of Punjab Prisons, ADGP Arun Pal Singh, was made the member.

The second inquiry into the role of the police officers, however senior they may be, in helping dismissed Raj Jit and Inderjit was supposed to be completed in one month. However, inquiry office ADGP RK Jaiswal has sought six months now to complete the probe.

Sources said Jaiswal, in a letter to the government through the DGP Gaurav Yadav, has sought six months due to voluminous work of the probe. The probe requires scanning into the entire service record of Inderjit Singh. He got clean chit in 14 departmental inquiries and instead got several commendation certificates.

Not questioned so far

As per sources, the main reason for the delay is that Lawrence Bishnoi could not be questioned as he was on a transit remand with the Gujarat Police and then with the NIA. The inquiry team just needs to ask him how and where the interview took place but for almost two months, it is unable to lay its hands on him

ADGP seeks 6 months

• The second inquiry into the role of the police officers, however senior they may be, in helping dismissed Raj Jit and Inderjit was supposed to be completed in one month
• However, inquiry office ADGP RK Jaiswal has sought six months now to complete the probe. Sources said Jaiswal, in a letter to the government, has sought six months due to voluminous work of the probe