Punjab CM Mann sacks senior cop over nexus with drug traffickers

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday ordered the dismissal of Punjab Police Service (PPS) officer Raj Jit Singh, acting on reports highlighting an alleged nexus between police officers and drug traffickers in the state.

Mann also asked the vigilance bureau to investigate the wealth amassed by the police officer through alleged “drug money”.

The chief minister said the action is in consonance with the directions of the Punjab and Haryana high court to act strictly against those named in reports pertaining to drug trade in the state.

Three sealed cover reports regarding the role of police officials in the drug trade in the state were opened by the high court on March 28.

These reports were submitted on February 1, March 15 and May 8 in 2018 by the Special Investigation Team, formed by the high court. They had been lying in the court since then.

After these reports were opened in the high court last month, Mann had said his government would take action based on them.

In a tweet in Punjabi on Monday, Mann said, “Nobody involved in drug trafficking will be spared. After scrutinising reports of the sealed cover envelopes, Raj Jit Singh PPS has been booked in a drug smuggling case and has been dismissed from service with immediate effect. Vigilance has also been asked to probe assets he amassed with 'chitta' (drugs) smuggling. Details soon.”

Later, Mann, in a statement, said this is just the beginning and all those who are involved in this “sin” will be brought to book.

He alleged that the drug trade, which had “flourished” during the previous Akali-BJP and the Congress regimes, had ruined the future generations of the state, asserting that none of the previous governments was sincere to take action against those who had ruined the future of Punjab.

Raj Jit Singh was till Monday posted as assistant inspector general of police headquarters non-resident Indians, Chandigarh.

The SIT, formed in 2017, had the mandate to probe allegations of complicity of Raj Jit Singh, the then senior superintendent of police, Moga, in respect of his alleged association with dismissed police inspector Inderjit Singh.

Inderjit Singh was dismissed following recovery of drugs by the special task force in 2017.

One of the reports stated that significant points have emerged which indicate complicity of Raj Jit Singh with Inderjit Singh.

The report said when Raj Jit Singh was posted as the Tarn Taran SSP on April 4, 2013, he requested for the posting of Inderjit Singh in Tarn Taran after transferring him from Jalandhar.

The report mentioned that there were 19 regular inspectors and 41 regular sub-inspectors who were senior to Inderjit Singh in Tarn Taran.

It also stated that Raj Jit Singh recommended a double promotion for Inderjit Singh.

Raj Jit Singh certified that no criminal case or departmental inquiry was pending against Inderjit Singh, but cases were pending against him, stated the report.

In 2014, Raj jit Singh had sent Inderjit Singh along with four others to Hoshiarpur district on his own verbal orders and without any reference to any of his senior officers when he himself transferred as SSP Hoshiarpur, as per the report.

After taking over as the SSP Hoshiarpur in August 2014, Raj Jit Singh wrote a letter to the Inspector General of Police headquarters to transfer Inderjit Singh from Tarn Taran to Hoshiarpur, stating that “he is very hard-working, sincere and fully conversant with investigation skills. His services are required in this district”.

The SIT also found that an analysis of property returns revealed that there has definitely been an upswing in the immovable assets of Raj Jit Singh from 2013 onwards.

Huge amounts were mobilised as loans/gifts by Raj Jit Singh during the relevant period. Although intimations have been given by Raj Jit Singh to his department in respect of these loans/gifts, the financial capacity of those individuals who had given such loans/gifts is required to be investigated, it said.

There is a sudden rise in the assets by Raj Jit Singh and his family members, for the period 2013 onwards, which gives definite scope for further inquiry, stated the report.

The SIT probe further said there were many other officers who had got Inderjit Singh posted under them from time to time and similar complicity of Inderjit Singh with those officers can be a subject matter of a separate inquiry.

The SIT team was led by then DGP S Chattopadhayaya, and had two other members -- Prabodh Kumar, then Director Bureau of Investigation, and Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, then inspector general of police.