Mann govt constitutes new SIT to probe drug case against Majithia

The orders by director, Bureau of Investigation (BoI), dated March 16, the day Mann took oath as the chief minister, says the four-member SIT will be headed by AIG Rahul S, a 2008-batch IPS officer

Chandigarh : The Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government has constituted a new special investigation team (SIT) to probe the drug case against Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia.

The Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government has constituted a new special investigation team (SIT) to probe the drug case against Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia.

The orders by director, Bureau of Investigation (BoI), dated March 16, the day Mann took oath as the chief minister, says the four-member SIT will be headed by AIG Rahul S, a 2008-batch IPS officer.

Another AIG-rank officer Ranjit Singh Dhillon, Raghbir Singh (DSP, STF, Rupnagar) and Amarpreet Singh (DSP, Kharar-2) will be its members. The SIT will work under the supervision of IGP (crime) Gursharan Singh Sandhu, says the order.

Punjab director general of police (DGP) VK Bhawra confirmed the constitution of the new SIT.

Earlier, the SIT constituted to probe the case vide orders dated December 21, 2021, was headed by AIG (crime) Balraj Singh, who courted controversy for out-of-turn promotion of his son in the police department. On the orders of then DGP Siddharth Chattopadhyaya, the AIG’s son Princepreet Singh was promoted as inspector after the FIR was registered against Majithia. The AIG defended the promotion saying his son was denied the due rise in the rank earlier.

On December 20, Majithia was booked for cognisable offenses under Sections 25 (punishment for allowing premises, etc., to be used for commission of an offence), 27 (A) (whoever is financing any activities indulging in production, manufacture, possession, sale, purchase, transportation, use or consumption, import and export or deal in any activities pertaining to narcotic drugs) and 29 (party to a criminal conspiracy to commit an offence) of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The case was registered against Majithia on the directions of then acting DGP S Chattopadhyaya.

Majithia is undergoing judicial remand and has been lodged in the Patiala Central Jail. The case will come up for hearing in Mohali court on March 22.