Threatened, chose to keep mum: Ex-DGP Shashi Kant

Jupinderjit Singh

Chandigarh, April 24

Former DGP Shashi Kant, whose claims in 2013 about the existence of a police-drug mafia nexus in Punjab eventually led to subsequent investigations and the recent dismissal of AIG Raj Jit Singh, does not want to talk about the nexus now. Claiming that he suffered harassment and threats, Kant said a report about police officers and politicians having links with drug smugglers went missing from government records and he could not make it public on his own.

Kant had during the hearing of a Ropar jail inmate’s case claimed before the Punjab and Haryana High Court that he had prepared a report on the police-drug mafia nexus when he was the state Intelligence chief. Later, he was appointed head of the state prisons as DGP and carried out reforms. The inmate had claimed jails were a haven for free flow of drugs. Kant, in an affidavit to the High Court in 2013, said he had submitted the list to the government. The list, however, is missing. It was never brought before the public.

The mysterious “Shashi Kant list”, as it is known in official and legal circles, is back in the news now following the dismissal of AIG Raj Jit Singh and the registration of a case against him for allegedly colluding with drug-tainted Inspector Inderjit Singh.

The state government is carrying out a probe against police officers, “however highly placed they may be”, for links with these dismissed police personnel. Officials probing the matter are expected to unearth previous reports about the police-drug mafia nexus also.

Asked about the list, senior officials said they had not seen it in any file. Former DGP Shashi Kant today said it was an old matter and he did not want to talk about it now. “I have faced a lot of harassment and threats after I spoke about the list of names I had submitted. Successive governments know the facts.”

Kant had earlier stated that he had not kept a copy of the report/list. He had earlier said he was duty-bound under the Officials Secrets Act to share such report with his superiors only. Successive governments, including that of the SAD-BJP and the Congress, did not confirm the existence of any such report. Former DGP Shashi Kant, once in a press conference, took names of some Akali leaders, but he has also not submitted a copy of the report in the High Court. On the contrary, in May 2019 during a hearing on the matter, Kant requested the court to direct the Punjab Government to update the list with latest names and figures, if any.

Kant has been claiming in various interviews that the list prepared by him in 2007 when he was posted as the ADGP (Intelligence), Punjab, was never made public. He claimed that he had submitted it directly to then CM Parkash Singh Badal. The claim was denied.

The reference to such a list first came in the case of Ropar jail inmate Tarlochan Singh, who claimed drugs were freely available in the jail. Advocate Navikiran, who represented Tarlochan, said Shashi Kant joined the case saying he had done a lot of work for reforms in the jail and also prepared a list of police/politicians involved in drug trade.

Prepared List in 2007, gave it to then CM

• Ex-DGP Shashi Kant says he prepared list in 2007 when he was ADGP, but it wasn’t made public
• The former top cop claimed that he had submitted the list to the then Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal. The claim was, however, denied